Uzbek authorities have charged two popular bloggers with fraud, the Interior Ministry has announced. Sanjar Ikramov 35, who resides in Turkey, often writes about the country’s poor human rights record. The other blogger, Sherali Komilov 44, is well-known for his criticism of the Uzbek religious author Abror Abduazimov, who often defends government policy. Both bloggers have YouTube, Telegram, and Facebook channels with more than 200,000 subscribers. Several bloggers had been arrested in the Central Asian country in recent months and charged with extortion. Rights groups say the cases are politically motivated.
Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty