Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Blogger and former deputy Qobil Dusov has had his sentence of freedom restriction replaced with imprisonment.

As a reminder, in late November 2024, Dusov was found guilty of insulting Farhod Bokiev, Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education, and was sentenced to one year of restriction on freedom.

As part of this sentence, Dusov was prohibited from leaving his residence from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM, using the internet, participating in mass events, and changing his place of residence without probation approval. He was also required to register monthly with the probation department.

However, according to a report from the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs (GUVD), Dusov violated the terms of his punishment, disregarded restrictions, and evaded serving his sentence. Preventive conversations with him did not yield positive results.

Experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Cybersecurity Center discovered that his Telegram profile, registered to his phone, remained active despite a disciplinary warning issued on January 11, 2025. He continued to use social media.

On 24 January 2025, the Yashnabad District Court of Tashkent reviewed the request to replace the remaining portion of his sentence. Dusov claimed that he had not evaded the punishment and continued his entrepreneurial activities, for which using Telegram was necessary.

However, the court granted the GUVD’s request and replaced the remaining 11 months and 2 days of the freedom restriction with imprisonment. The sentence will be served in a correctional colony.

The court ruled that the sentence would begin on 24 January 2025. Dusov was taken into custody immediately in the courtroom and transferred to the central detention facility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.