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Comprehensive archive of political persecution — 6 individuals fighting for freedom and justice

Documented Cases.

Comprehensive archive of political persecution — 6 individuals fighting for freedom and justice across Russia, Belarus, Georgia, and Central Asia.

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Alijon Ashurov

A group of high-ranking State Security Service (SSS) officials in Uzbekistan have been detained in connection with a massive $90 million corruption scheme involving labor migration to South Korea. The scheme allegedly involved extorting large sums of money from citizens seeking work abroad.

LAST UPDATED · MAY 26, 2026

Abdukodir Muminov

Abdukodir Muminov is a blogger and investigative journalist; founder and host of the popular YouTube channel Ko‘zgu (“Mirror”), where he posted critical content about social issues and powerful individuals in Uzbekistan. He was detained on 8 February 2023 by law-enforcement authorities in Tashkent on suspicion of extortion and fraud. Muminov’s trial took place before the Mirabad District Criminal Court in Tashkent in mid-2023. Prosecutors asked for an 11-year sentence, but the court convicted him and sentenced him to 7 years and 3 months’ imprisonment. Human-rights monitors describe these charges as widely disproportionate given the evidence publicly known and linked to his online criticism of authorities.

URGENT ACTION

LAST UPDATED · MAY 26, 2026

Shahida Salomova

Shahida Salomova is a human rights defender, lawyer, and blogger known for providing free legal guidance to victims of forced evictions and urban planning abuses. She also administered popular online channels on Telegram and YouTube focused on rights issues in Uzbekistan. She was arrested in December 2022 after publishing social-media posts critical of government officials and alleging corruption involving the president and his family. Her case is characterized by human rights monitors as punitive psychiatric confinement rather than standard criminal prosecution. As of 2025, she remains held in a closed psychiatric hospital in Tashkent with restricted access to family and legal counsel.

HEALTH RISK

LAST UPDATED · MAY 26, 2026

Fazilhoja Arifhojaev

Fazilhoja Arifhojaev is a Muslim blogger and social-media commentator, known for online criticism of government policies related to religion and freedom of belief. He was arrested in June 2021 and sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for his Facebook posts regarding religious observances. On January 26, 2022, the Olmazor District Criminal Court in Tashkent convicted him under Article 244-1 part 3 of the Criminal Code. The case centered on his commentary regarding whether Muslims should congratulate non-Muslims on religious holidays. After serving most of his sentence, he was moved to a parole-like house arrest regime in December 2023.

URGENT ACTION

LAST UPDATED · MAY 26, 2026

Miraziz Bazarov

Miraziz Bazarov is an independent blogger and social-media commentator. Bazarov became known for outspoken criticism of corruption, lack of transparency in government finances, and calls for legal reforms (including decriminalising consensual same-sex relations) — issues he voiced on Telegram, TikTok, and other platforms. Bazarov was initially detained on 28–29 March 2021 following a brutal physical attack outside his home in Tashkent. He was subsequently placed under house arrest and convicted of defamation and insult. His case was marked by procedural violations and a failure by authorities to investigate the violent assault against him.

URGENT ACTION

LAST UPDATED · MAY 26, 2026

Tulkun Astanov

Tulkun Astanov is a Muslim activist and religious-freedom advocate known for peaceful advocacy on behalf of religious freedom and the rights of Muslims in Uzbekistan, including public protest and online criticism of restrictions on religious practice. Astanov was arrested on 22 November 2020 after protesting outside the presidential residence in Tashkent. In May 2025, as his original sentence was nearing completion, authorities initiated a new case against him, extending his imprisonment with an additional three years and two months sentence for allegedly disobeying prison regulations.

URGENT ACTION

LAST UPDATED · MAY 26, 2026

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