Still from video featuring Allan Pashkovsky
Prominent defense attorney Allan Pashkovsky has released a video address to the president of Uzbekistan, the country’s prosecutor general, and the head of the Supreme Court, accusing Uzbek law enforcement of fabricating a criminal case against his client, former lieutenant colonel Valijon Rakhmanov.
According to Pashkovsky, Rakhmanov, who held a senior position in one of the country's security agencies, had uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme causing tens of millions of dollars in damage. Instead of opening an investigation into the perpetrators, authorities detained Rakhmanov himself—in February 2024.
“He was held for the first 24 hours in their facility without any official documentation. Over the next month and a half to two months, he was subjected to torture,” Pashkovsky said. A second defendant in the case, represented by attorney Vladimir Nikitin, was also allegedly tortured and threatened.
In January 2025, Rakhmanov was convicted of treason and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Pashkovsky claims the conviction is based on false evidence and has called on state authorities to conduct an impartial investigation. While the Prosecutor General’s Office has taken some steps, he says many of its directives remain unfulfilled.
The lawyer added that the prosecution ignored key evidence proving his client’s innocence, and nearly all defense motions—including those requesting investigations into torture claims—were denied.
Pashkovsky expressed outrage at the judiciary’s treatment of defense attorneys. Following their active defense of Rakhmanov, both he and his colleague were stripped of their licenses for four months on questionable grounds. The cited misconduct included using the word “guys” in court and smiling during proceedings.
“I hope that after this video, people will think twice, and that I won’t suddenly be prosecuted for distributing religious literature, dealing drugs, or large-scale fraud,” said Pashkovsky. “I emphasize: my colleague and I do not feel legally safe. This is, in effect, interference in lawful legal practice. It’s a figurative attempt to silence us.”
In his address, Pashkovsky directly accused certain members of the security services of sabotaging President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s reform agenda and building a system where corrupt officials go unpunished while whistleblowers face persecution.
He concluded by stating that he does not call for any unlawful actions—only for legal due process and a fair review of his client’s case.
