On July 13, 2026, the Yakkasaray District Criminal Court of Tashkent, presided over by Judge Bakhodir Kayumov, delivered its verdict in the case against the leadership of the environmental organization Indigo. The organization’s head, 53-year-old Pavel Volkov, was released from custody directly in the courtroom. The trial, which began on June 5, ended with sentences that do not involve actual imprisonment.
Both defendants were found guilty on all counts.
The author of this article personally attended three court hearings, including the sentencing hearing.
Legal qualification and sentences
The court found Pavel Volkov and the organization’s 63-year-old accountant, Abdumalik Bayturayev, guilty under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan:
- Article 167, Part 3(a): embezzlement or misappropriation on an especially large scale;
- Article 228, Part 2(a, b): repeated forgery of documents, stamps, seals, and forms committed by prior conspiracy;
- Article 228, Part 3: use of a knowingly forged document.
Pavel Volkov was sentenced to two years and six months of corrective labor. The court deducted the 83 days he spent in custody following his arrest on April 22, 2026. As a result, the remaining term of punishment amounts to one year, nine months, and 21 days. During this period, 20 percent of Volkov’s salary will be withheld in favor of the state. He was released under an obligation of proper conduct.
Under Uzbek criminal law, one day spent in pretrial detention counts as three days of corrective labor. Since Volkov spent 83 days in detention—which is equivalent to 249 days, or eight months and nine days, of corrective labor—the judge deducted this period from the original sentence. The final term to be served therefore amounts to one year, nine months, and 21 days.
Abdumalik Bayturayev was fined 110 base calculation values (BCVs), a standard benchmark used in Uzbekistan to calculate fines and other payments. Taking into account the 96 days he spent under house arrest, the court reduced the final fine to 62 BCVs (25,544,000 Uzbek soums). Restrictions and seizure orders previously imposed by investigators on the accountant’s personal vehicle and property were fully lifted by the court.
Grants at the center of the case
Four grants were involved in the activities of the non-governmental non-profit organization (NGO) Indigo: three domestic grants and one international grant. Their structure and status at the time of sentencing were as follows:
- Domestic grants: 40 million soums (2022), 100 million soums (2023), and 189 million soums (2024);
- International grant: a grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) worth more than $40,000 (2023), which was completely excluded from the conviction.
For two of the domestic grants, the organizations that provided the funding confirmed that the contracted work had been completed and stated that they had no financial claims against the NGO.
The main focus of the prosecution concerned the 2023 grant worth 100 million soums. The injured party, represented by foundation officials, did not confirm that the reported volume of work had been completed. During the trial, video materials and screenshots taken from those videos were submitted as reports related to the grant. To compensate for the alleged damages, Abdumalik Bayturayev had previously deposited 100 million soums into the court’s account.
Defendants’ reactions
During closing arguments, prosecutors requested harsher financial penalties for the defendants. As a result, one of the defense attorneys described the court’s final verdict as a “Solomonic decision.” Nevertheless, the convicted men reacted to the ruling with mixed feelings.
In his final statement, Abdumalik Bayturayev insisted that he should be fully acquitted. After the hearing, he expressed dissatisfaction that a fine had been imposed in addition to the 100 million soums already deposited with the court.
In his final statement, Pavel Volkov said: “If you prove that I stole something, then imprison me,” maintaining that all environmental projects had been completed in full. Speaking to the author after his release, Volkov said he was happy to regain his freedom. However, when asked about the months he had spent in pretrial detention, he replied: “You do not understand what it is like to be there.”
The verdict has not yet entered into legal force and may be appealed by either side.