An appellate court in Tashkent has toughened the sentences for vlogger Komila Abduqodirova, actress Barchin Gofurova and blogger Nihola Rajabova in the high-profile dispute surrounding the Med Consultant clinic. The court found them guilty of insult and defamation, imposing prison terms of 3.5 years, 4 years and 4.5 years respectively. Abduqodirova and Gofurova were taken into custody from the courtroom. The case centred on public statements and videos that the court judged to be false and damaging to the professional reputation of doctors and the clinic.
Key Takeaways: The appellate court sentenced Komila Abduqodirova to 3.5 years, Barchin Gofurova to 4 years and Nihola Rajabova to 4.5 years in prison. The first-instance court had earlier handed Rajabova a 3-year prison term, Abduqodirova a 1-year 6-month restriction of liberty and Gofurova a 1-year 3-month restriction of liberty. Following the appeal ruling, Abduqodirova and Gofurova were detained in court.
The dispute began after 33-year-old blogger Komila Abduqodirova, known online as Kokosh, underwent liposuction and abdominoplasty at the Tashkent clinic and later reported serious complications. She alleged that the operations had been performed by a paediatrician, a dentist and a student, that she underwent three repeat operations within a month, and that necrosis developed. The clinic said the procedures were provided free of charge but that the patient did not follow medical recommendations. The dispute between the blogger and the clinic prompted widespread discussion on social media; Abduqodirova held clinic head Umid Aminov responsible for the complications.
According to the first-instance materials, on 2 April 2025 Abduqodirova argued with Aminov and doctors Ismatov and Murotov at the clinic, insulted them in public and posted video footage on her Instagram page. The court found that Gofurova also went to the clinic and, despite resistance from staff, tried to enter the intensive care room where Aminov was staying; she did not comply with a lawful demand from a National Guard officer, actively resisted and used insulting language. The actress also shared videos of the incident online.
In its 16 June verdict, the first-instance court assessed the defendants’ actions and statements as false and damaging to the working reputation of the doctors and the clinic. At that stage, Rajabova was sentenced to 3 years in prison, Abduqodirova to 1 year and 6 months of restricted liberty, and Gofurova to 1 year and 3 months of restricted liberty. The appellate court reviewed those decisions and replaced the more lenient measures with imprisonment.
The appeal ruling has now been announced; official information on further legal steps, including a possible cassation appeal, is awaited. The case has renewed debate over medical service quality, the protection of doctors’ professional reputation and the limits of public speech on social media. Observers note that the court decision may fuel further discussion about private clinics and online accountability in Uzbekistan.
Source: kun.uz