The Tashkent regional court has dismissed an appeal by blogger Lemara Mirzaahmedova on December 13, upholding her 7 1/2-year prison term issued in October, as reported by RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service. Her conviction, based on defamation, slander, and extortion charges linked to critical social-media posts about the government, faced staunch opposition from supporters who view it as retribution by authorities. Mirzaahmedova, detained in March, is seen by human rights watchdogs as part of a concerning trend in Tashkent, marked by an uptick in criminal cases targeting independent bloggers.
