Blogger Sirojiddin Odilov has been arrested on charges of fraud and bribery.
The blogger received money in exchange for resolving a financial matter for a citizen of Samarkand with another person.
Blogger Sirojiddin Odilov has been placed under arrest in connection with a complaint filed with internal affairs bodies by a citizen of Pastdargom district, Samarkand region, who became a victim of fraud. This was reported by the Samarkand Regional Department of Internal Affairs.
It is reported that R.Kh., born in 1961, filed an application with the district DIA, stating that in August 2024, he had approached Sirojiddin Odilov, born in 1980 and residing in Tashkent, seeking his help in resolving a financial matter with another person. Although Sirojiddin Odilov was not an authorized person, he took a certain amount of money in exchange for resolving the issue in R.Kh.'s favor, but has since failed to fulfill his promise and has been deceiving him.
In connection with this case, a criminal case has been initiated against Sirojiddin Odilov under Part 3 of Article 168 (fraud) and Article 211 (bribery) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the preventive measure of detention has been applied against him.
Currently, investigative actions are being carried out in this case by the Investigation Department under the Samarkand Regional Department of Internal Affairs.
According to information, Sirojiddin Odilov operates on networks under the name "Sirojiddin Media," and his YouTube page has nearly 1 million subscribers, his Facebook page has about 50 thousand, and his Instagram has over 30 thousand. The blogger has primarily been making statements on legal and social issues.
The head of the "Ezguilik" human rights society, Abdurakhmon Tashanov, commented on this incident.
"Sirojiddin's criminal case began with blatant procedural violations. Despite the presence of two lawyers from the capital who came to the court regarding the selection of the preventive measure, they were not allowed, and instead, a state-appointed lawyer participated. The right to defense is an imperative right of an individual, and the violation of such a right raises doubts about the impartiality of the criminal case," writes Tashanov.
According to the human rights defender's assumption, "the system may now organize trolling against Odilov's person, contrary to the presumption of innocence, to cover up such suspicions."
