A 61-year-old man from Bukhara has been sentenced to 10 years and 2 months in prison for financing terrorism by sending cryptocurrency to his son, who joined the international terrorist organization "Tawhid and Jihad" in Syria. The State Security Service reported the case.

His son, born in 1999, traveled to Syria in 2019 under the influence of extremist ideologies and joined the group. He not only participated in militant activities but also helped improve the organization's financial support by collecting funds through social media under various pretexts.

Between 2021 and 2025, he contacted Uzbek citizens online, urging them to send money in the form of cryptocurrency, and amassed a significant amount. Eight individuals who fell for his deception and transferred funds have had criminal cases initiated against them under Article 155-3 of the Criminal Code (Financing of Terrorism).

According to the investigation, the father transferred a total of 13,597 USDT in cryptocurrency (approximately 167 million Uzbek soums at current rates) to his son via the Binance international crypto exchange between 2022 and 2025. From 2022 to 2023, he converted his cash into cryptocurrency and transferred it to his son's Binance account, later opening his own account for further transfers.

Per the State Security Service, the man was previously convicted in 2019 under Article 244-1 of the Criminal Code (Preparation, storage, distribution, or display of materials threatening public safety and order) for disseminating religious extremist materials and served a 5-year sentence, being conditionally released in January 2023. The Bukhara City Court found him guilty of financing terrorism and imposed the 10-year sentence. His son is wanted by authorities.

Source: www.gazeta.uz