Uzbek Court Jails Man for False Police Accusations

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A court in Akhangaran has sentenced a citizen to administrative arrest for spreading false information about a law enforcement officer, the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Tashkent region reported.

According to the authorities, the individual accused a patrol police officer of unlawful actions involving a minor and disseminated these claims online. He and his associates were held accountable and taken into custody.

The case stemmed from a video published by an 18-year-old named Artyom, who introduced himself as the brother of a 14-year-old girl. In the video, he alleged that a patrol officer had taken the girl and her friends to a mountainous area in Akhangaran and committed unlawful acts against them. He claimed that the minor herself had confirmed this information.

The regional Internal Affairs Department refuted the allegations presented in the video. An internal review was launched, and the Akhangaran city prosecutor’s office initiated a preliminary investigation.

During the proceedings, the author of the video admitted that he had spread false information. In his statement, he said he had defamed the officer, called him a pedophile, and posted the video online between April 27 and 28. He also issued an apology, acknowledging that the girl shown in the video was not his relative and expressing regret for his actions.

The girl involved in the incident stated during the investigation that no unlawful actions had taken place.

Authorities said that after publishing the video, the individual was summoned to the internal affairs department to clarify the circumstances but failed to comply with lawful demands and caused a disturbance on the premises.

By decision of the Akhangaran City Criminal Court, the individual and two of his peers were sentenced under Articles 183, 194, and 195 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility to seven days of administrative arrest. Investigative actions are ongoing regarding deliberate defamation of a law enforcement officer, dissemination of false information via the internet, and damage to a vehicle committed by a group.

Law enforcement officials подчеркнули that measures will be taken in accordance with the law in all established cases and stressed the inevitability of accountability for spreading false information.