The Main Department of Internal Affairs of the city of Tashkent reported the detention of five people, including employees of the news website Taftish.uz, on suspicion of committing crimes.
According to the official statement of the Department, “on 16 January of the current year, on suspicion of committing crimes provided for by Articles 165 and 168 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the following individuals were detained in accordance with procedural procedure”: G‘ayrat Aberayev (born 1988), as well as employees of Taftish.uz — Azizjon Yuldashev (born 1992), Sardor Khamidov (born 2000), Marjona Eshquvvatova (born 2006), and Dilshod Nishonov (born 1998).
The cited articles of the Criminal Code mean:
- Article 165 — extortion,
- Article 168 — fraud.
The Department also reported that the possible involvement of the detainees in crimes provided for by Articles 139 (defamation) and 244⁶ (dissemination of false information) of the Criminal Code is additionally being examined.
The statement separately emphasizes that “reports about the closure of the media outlet Taftish.uz do not correspond to reality; the outlet continues its day-to-day activities.”
What is known about Taftish.uz
The news website Taftish.uz was registered as a mass media outlet on 24 March 2021 by the Agency of Information and Mass Communications under the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan. The most recent publications on the site are dated 13 January.
The site is linked to the company Elita-Media, whose declared activity is “construction of non-residential buildings.” The company was registered in 2019. The owner of the company is listed as Dilshod Anvarovich Irgashev, and the director is the detained G‘ayrat Nusratovich Aberayev.
According to media reports, G‘ayrat Aberayev had previous legal problems in 2023: at that time, he was accused of fraud and attempted bribery.
The Tashkent Department of Internal Affairs reported that additional information on the case will be provided later.
Also read on the site on this topic: Uzbekistan’s Interior Ministry accuses Taftish.uz staff of extortion and fraud