In Tashkent, law enforcement officers conducted an operation against a group suspected of extortion under the guise of media activities. According to the capital's Main Internal Affairs Directorate, among those detained were Fazlidiнхон Мехмонов, head of the publication Demokrat.uz, and blogger Aziz Goipnazarov.
The case was initiated after the release of a video that tarnished the reputation of one of the city's car dealerships. The investigation believes that after the video appeared, Мехмонов demanded $50,000 from the dealership owner, promising to remove the compromising material and not to publish new content that could threaten the businessman's reputation.
The dealership owner reported the extortion to the police, after which law enforcement began monitoring the situation. The arrest took place on February 10, when Мехмонов was caught in the act after receiving the first part of the sum, $3,000, and then an additional $17,000.
This incident has become part of a broader campaign in Uzbekistan against "info extortionists." Earlier this year, employees of the websites Taftish.uz and the publication "Qonun doirasida" in Khorezm were detained on similar charges, with all suspects facing large-scale extortion accusations.
