Uzbekistan, Tashkent – AN Podrobno.uz. The case against employees of the Taftish.uz website, accused under several articles of the Criminal Code, is now being investigated by military investigators. This was announced by Abdurakhman Tashanov, chairman of the human rights society 'Ezgulik'.

'The investigation has been officially transferred to the military prosecutor's office because the defendants include employees of the State Security Service,' the human rights activist noted.

According to Tashanov, from the very beginning of the high-profile case, the presumption of innocence was violated — immediately after the arrest, information about the investigation was made public, and the team was publicly condemned. Now part of the case materials are classified as 'secret,' so details of the investigation are not disclosed. He does not rule out that the trial may be held behind closed doors.

It is reported that more than 400 citizen complaints related to the defendants' activities have been reviewed so far. A group of investigators from different regions of the country has been formed to study the materials.

Tashanov expressed hope that official bodies will provide explanations not only about the actions of the defendants but also about episodes involving law enforcement agencies.

The defendants were detained on January 16. They include project head Gayrat Aberayev, as well as employees Azizjon Yuldashev, Sardor Khamidov, and Marjona Eshkuvatova.

The defendants are suspected of systematically extorting large sums of money from entrepreneurs and citizens. According to the investigation, they used journalism as a cover and intimidated their victims by threatening to spread defamatory information.

Source: podrobno.uz