A court in Tashkent sanctioned the arrest of Aziz Hakimov (“Comrade Aziz”). Hakimov is known on social media as a supporter and distributor of Russian propaganda narratives.
Arrest and charges
The official indictment cites four articles of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, including Article 150 (“propaganda of war”) and Article 156 (“incitement of national, racial, ethnic or religious enmity”).
Defense version and lawyer’s comments
According to the defense, part of the charges is linked to a post on the Telegram channel Comrade_Aziz — a World War II photo with the caption “Forward to Kyiv.” An expert assessment by the State Security Service classified this as “incitement of war.” Lawyer Sergey Mayorov noted that the penalty ranges from five to ten years in prison and called the experts’ conclusions “pulled out of thin air.”
“In Uzbek practice, what the expert says is considered unquestionable,” the lawyer added.
Hakimov was also charged with libel and insult, allegedly directed at another blogger. According to the defense, these posts were published by other administrators of the channel, and Hakimov insists he had nothing to do with them.
The lawyer reported that investigators requested pre-trial detention, and the court granted the request. “Although Aziz did not go into hiding and did not obstruct the investigation, he was arrested,” read the most recent post on the Telegram channel Comrade_Aziz.
Hakimov’s health condition
The defense also stressed Hakimov’s poor health: he was scheduled for a planned surgery. “He declared a hunger strike. He… is preparing for death,” the lawyer said.
According to the investigator, if necessary, the surgery will be performed after his transfer to the Zangiota detention center.
Ezgulik statement
Abdurakhmon Tashanov, head of the human rights society Ezgulik, also commented on the case. He emphasized that it is linked not only to internal disputes in Uzbekistan’s media space but also to trolling practices and the spread of fake materials:
“The Cybersecurity Department of the Interior Ministry has initiated a criminal case against individuals engaged in trolling on social networks. In fact, this case was opened last year, then suspended, and has now been renewed.
The group of victims includes more than 15 online activists. This man was the first to spread a fake video claiming that Anora Sodiqova and I were allegedly receiving money from abroad to incite people against the state. More recently, he was also held accountable following complaints from Sherzodkhon Kudratkhodja and Nikita Makarenko.”
Conflicts with human rights defenders and journalists
Hakimov actively spread Russian narratives on social networks — both on Telegram and on Facebook, where his page “Aziz Adhamovich” had about 16,000 followers. He also clashed publicly with Ezgulik activists, the rector of the Journalism University Sherzodkhon Kudratkhodja, and blogger Nikita Makarenko.
Thus, Hakimov found himself at the center of several conflicts: promotion of Russian war rhetoric, libel and insult accusations, and dissemination of fake materials against human rights defenders and journalists.
Examples of Russian war rhetoric on Comrade_Aziz
Posts of openly propagandist content were shared on the Telegram channel Comrade_Aziz. On May 2, 2025, under the headline “Juche near Kursk”, the channel published an article by writer Alexander Prokhanov from the newspaper Zavtra. It described North Korea as a military ally of Russia in the war against Ukraine:
“North Korean assault battalions are taking enemy strongholds near Kursk… German Leopards are burning, American Abrams are smoking. Koreans and Russians stand side by side in the same artillery battery… Now this word [Juche], along with the letters z and v, shines on Russian tanks.”
Another example was a repost of Russian war correspondents from the Operation Z: War Correspondents of Russian Spring project on July 8, 2024, claiming:
“In France, the winners of the elections were not the right-wing but the left, who support peace with Russia and oppose Ukraine.”
Hakimov added his own comment: “Now this is good news✊🏼.”
Official bodies have not yet publicly commented on the criminal case.
Note: the article has been supplemented with a fragment of the court order on the detention of Aziz Hakimov.