The Criminal Court of Nurafshan, Tashkent Region, has sentenced 26-year-old blogger Valery Dyugai to three years and one month in prison for insulting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and inciting interethnic discord. The ruling was announced by Aziz Abidov, spokesperson for the country’s Supreme Court.
According to law enforcement, while in South Korea in 2024, Dyugai posted several videos on TikTok containing offensive remarks about Uzbek citizens. He was detained upon returning from Abu Dhabi to Samarkand and transferred to Tashkent.
Dyugai was convicted under Part 2 of Article 156 (“Incitement of national, racial, ethnic, or religious hatred”) and Part 3 of Article 158 (“Public insult of the president”) of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code. He will serve his sentence in a penal settlement.