Yesimkan Kanaatov

Affiliated media: Newspaper Ishonch, Journalist

Incident date: March 17, 2023

Attack type:

• Criminal/administrative prosecution excluding (1), (2) and (3)

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Gazeta.uz

Location: Uzbekistan, Bukhara

Additional information:

On March 17, the Criminal Court of Karakalpakstan handed down a judgment in which Yesimkan Kanaatov, the journalist of the newspaper Ishonch, was sentenced to five years of the restriction of freedom. He was found guilty under Part 3 of Article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (organization of mass riots accompanied by violence against persons, pogroms, arson, damage to or destruction of property) and Paragraphs A and D of Part 3 of Article 244-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (preparation, storage, distribution or demonstration of materials containing threats to public security and public order, by prior conspiracy or group; using media or telecommunications networks as well as Internet). The court also ordered that Kanaatov, as one of the 39 defendants, be jointly liable for over UZS 6.5 billion for material damage. The journalist was released from custody in the courtroom.