Blogger Sirojiddin Adilov’s October 5 conviction on dubious extortion and fraud charges raises serious questions about fair trial standards in Uzbekistan, as well as the government’s commitment to upholding freedom of expression. Click to expand Image Sirojiddin Adilov, September 2026. © 2026 Abdurakhmon Tashanov A criminal court sentenced Adilov—who ran “Sirojiddin Media,” a YouTube channel with over 915,000 subscribers—to four years in a prison colony for committing extortion in the case of one individual and fraud in the case of two others. The court also ordered that he pay a total of 75 million Som in damages (approximately US $6370).The court explicitly noted that Adilov was not prosecuted in connection with his social media activities. Yet, Adilov’s arrest in March 2026 came just several months after he reported on a case of abuse of power in law enforcement, raising concerns that he may have been targeted for his critical reporting.The human rights organization Ezgulik reported on multiple procedural violations in Adilov’s case, including authorities’ refusal to allow Adilov to choose his own lawyer in pretrial detention proceedings and a warrantless police search of Adilov’s apartment and vehicle.The head of Ezgulik, Abdurakhman Tashanov, who monitored Adilov’s trial, informed Human Rights Watch that none of the individuals who filed complaints against Adilov provided substantiating evidence to support their claims. Tashanov also pointed out that from the time of the alleged incidents of fraud and extortion, it took the complainants over three years to file a complaint.Adilov’s “Sirojiddin Media” reported in 2025 on the efforts of a school principal from the Fergana region, Gulirano Kosimova, to hold accountable police officers who had beat her and made her strip naked on camera as part of an apparent set up to frame another official. In late November 2025, Kosimova won her case and a Fergana district criminal court convicted a district police chief and his deputy, sentencing them to four years in a prison colony.Adilov’s sentencing comes amidst increasing restrictions on freedom of expression in Uzbekistan. Authorities should stop prosecuting bloggers and others on dubious extortion charges and for non-violent offenses such as “insulting the president online.”Sirojiddin Adilov was entitled to a fair trial and should get a fair and impartial appeals hearing that respects due process and is capable of reviewing both the procedural aspects and evidence base of his conviction.