Activists Being Tried for Online Activity in Karakalpakstan

Over the past month, 13 new criminal cases have been opened in Karakalpakstan. The charges are linked to protest videos, social media comments, and reposts, Orda.kz reports.

According to the human rights organization Memorial, since mid-July, courts in the region have begun hearing 13 new cases related to online publications:

All defendants are charged under Article 244-1, Part 3, paragraph 'g' of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan — dissemination of materials threatening public safety via the Internet. Three cases also involve Article 156, Part 2 — incitement of ethnic discord. Trials are taking place in Nukus and in district courts including Kegeyli, Konlykul, Muynak, Takhiatash, Takhtakupyr, and Chimbay.

In addition, one case under Article 244-1 was completed in Elikkala District, one was reviewed on appeal, and two were on cassation. Among them was a cassation complaint against the sentence of activist Rinat Utambetov, extradited from Kazakhstan.

Utambetov’s case has drawn particular attention from human rights defenders.

Aqylbek Muratbai wrote on X that Utambetov spent six months in an Almaty pre-trial detention center before extradition. He said Utambetov gave up refugee status in Kazakhstan under family pressure and returned to Uzbekistan, where he was charged with encroachment on the constitutional order.

The case stemmed from his participation in a private Telegram chat with ten classmates, where he shared a video of the Nukus protests and left two comments.

According to Muratbai, Karakalpaks convicted under such articles do not have time spent in foreign pre-trial detention credited, although this is common in other cases. As a result, Utambetov, who has no ties to opposition groups, received a real sentence of 2.5 years without deduction of the six months served in Almaty.

By comparison, 17 similar cases were registered in Karakalpakstan courts in the first half of 2025. 

On July 17, the Kegeyli District Court sentenced 27-year-old Dastan Uzakov to five years of probation with a two-year probationary period. He was accused of publishing eight videos containing speeches by protest leader Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, posted on Instagram from January 2023 to March 2025. 

Uzakov told the court he sought likes and did not know he was breaking the law. His phone was confiscated as a “criminal instrument.”

On July 29, the Nukus City Court tried 19-year-old medical college student Nuratdin Kalbayev. He was convicted under Articles 156 and 244-1 for a September 2022 TikTok post that criticized government policy, commented on Karakalpakstan independence, criticized President Mirziyoyev, and insulted Uzbeks.

He was sentenced to one year and 10 months of restricted freedom, during which he is barred from using the Internet, attending public events, and leaving his residence except for study or work.

Earlier, we reported that the Supreme Court of Karakalpakstan upheld Utambetov’s conviction under articles on encroachment on the constitutional order and dissemination of materials threatening public safety. The court also ordered him to pay over 30 million soums in extradition costs.

His case was based on three videos posted in a closed Telegram group in the summer of 2022.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov