A Samarkand regional court has sentenced a 19-year-old Uzbek individual to two-and-a-half years in prison for derogatory comments aimed at President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in an Instagram post featuring the presidential family, some of whom hold significant political and business positions, as per RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service.
Dilshod Iskandarov becomes the latest among at least three Uzbeks convicted within the last year under a criminal statute related to insulting or defaming the president. Iskandarov reportedly deleted the post following warnings from relatives about its potential consequences.
