In Tashkent, law enforcement officers uncovered a group that was blackmailing entrepreneurs under the guise of journalism. According to a statement from the Tashkent Department of Internal Affairs, the investigation centered on Fazlidinkhon Mekhmanov, the head of the portal Demokrat.uz, and blogger Aziz Goipnazarov.
The case was initiated after the release of a video that negatively impacted the reputation of one of the car dealerships in the capital. The investigation claims that after the publication of this material, Mekhmanov demanded $50,000 from the business owner with a promise to remove the compromising information and cease the release of new materials that could harm his reputation.
The owner of the car dealership reported the incident to law enforcement, and an operation was organized under the supervision of operatives. Immediately after the transfer of the first part of the amount, $3,000, on February 10, the suspect was detained while receiving the next tranche of $17,000.
This incident has become part of a broader campaign in Uzbekistan aimed at combating "info-blackmail." Earlier this year, in the neighboring country, employees of Taftish.uz and the publication "Qonun doirasida" from Khorezm were arrested on similar charges. All those detained have been charged with large-scale extortion.
