Uzbekistan: blogger was detained for criticizing authorities

On January 29, blogger Otabek Sattoriy, known for his criticism of local authorities, was detained in Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan. On February 1, the Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan charged Sattoriy with extorting cash and a mobile phone from unknown people.

The 40-year-old blogger sharply criticized the regional governor Tura Bobolov. Sattoriy maintains a video blog “Hulk fikiri” (“People’s opinion”) which broadcasts on Telegram and YouTube.

According to Uzbek service of Radio Liberty, in one of his recent posts, Sattoriy openly accused local authorities of fabricating criminal cases against bloggers and promised to continue raising the issue of corruption among officials “despite the repression”. Opposition website ElTuz posted a footage of the blogger’s arrest. Five operatives jumped out of two cars and forcibly took him away. The reaction of the security officials was disproportionate to the charges brought against him. They confiscated blogger’s computer and other equipment.