Police in the south-eastern city of Samarkand arrested 22-year-old Shia Muslim Sunnatillo Akparov in late June for content on a Shia Telegram channel he had run. Senior Lieutenant Shokhrukh Asliddinov, an Investigator of Samarkand Police, has brought a criminal case against Akparov for online distribution of "materials containing a threat to public security and public order". He faces a jail term of 5 to 8 years if convicted.

At the request of police, the government's Religious Affairs Committee in Tashkent produced – within a day - an "expert analysis" of marthiyas (Shia musical lamentations) distributed on the Telegram channel. The "experts" found that the "information distributed by Akparov to the members of the group via Telegram encouraged the activity and teachings of various [unspecified] ideological movements" (see below).

Generally accepted in the Shia Muslim understanding of marthiyas is that they evoke the battle of Karbala in October 680. They aim to portray the courage and determination of the followers of Imam Husayn, who according to Shias was martyred for his faith (see below).

Investigator Asliddinov at first denied he investigated the criminal case against Akparov. When Forum 18 told him that it has seen a copy of his decision to open the criminal investigation and asked why the Police in Samarkand has been carrying out massive raids and arrested members of the local Shia community, he responded: "I do not know you. You should talk to the Interior Ministry and not me." He then put the phone down (see below).

Officials are holding Akparov at Kattakurgan Investigation Prison in Samarkand Region. His mother visited him there in early August. However, prison official Alisher Nigmatov denied to Forum 18 that Akparov is being held there (see below).

Another Samarkand Shia Muslim, 36-year-old Anvar Aliyev is serving a suspended four-year prison sentence on the same charges related to a Telegram group where members discussed their Shia faith. Aliyev is "still serving his house arrest, strictly following the conditions of it", Shia believers told Forum 18 (see below).

Police raided and searched the homes of at least ten Shia men in Samarkand city since May without official warrants, Shia Muslims living outside Uzbekistan complained. "Many of those Shia men do not want to give their names or details for fear of state reprisals," Shakhrizod Isroilov, a Shia from Samarkand who himself fled Uzbekistan in summer 2021, told Forum 18 (see below).

Isroilov says his father died in November 2025 after another police search in the family home in Samarkand. "The Police and other authorities had put my father under constant pressure and he had developed diabetes because of huge stress. He had already had two micro-strokes." The authorities searched Isroilov's parental home again in summer 2026 after they arrested Akparov. "They are terrorising my mother, who is an elderly woman and lives alone" (see below).

It appears that after the criminal case was launched against Akparov, Police also opened an investigation against Isroilov on the same charges. Samarkand Regional Police had already declared him wanted on extortion charges, which he says were launched after he fled Uzbekistan (see below).

Bobur Rozykov, Senior Officer on extradition of Samarkand Regional Police, could not say why the Interior Ministry brought extremism-related charges against Isroilov. "As far as I know, Isroilov is wanted for extortion," he told Forum 18 (see below).

On 22 June, Tashkent's Shoykhontohur Police called Sunni Muslim Gayrat Ziyakhojayev demanding that he come to the Police station and bring his complaint that he sent to the Supreme Court. "The officer did not give me his name and told me that I will learn his name when I go the Police station. I told the officer on the phone that I will not go there," Ziyakhojayev told Forum 18. The same Police Officer called Ziyakhojayev several times in late June and demanded that he must appear before the Police. He then stopped calling him.

Ziyakhojayev lost his appeal to the Supreme Court in March against a 2025 fine for reposting a video on his Facebook account of a sermon by a state-approved Imam. He is considering finding a way to complain to the Constitutional Court (see below).

Ziyakhojayev told Forum 18 that he thinks that "this way the Police are trying to intimidate me and discourage me from complaining. And I do not understand how they learned about my intention to complain to the Court" (see below).

Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities released former Tashkent Sunni Muslim imam Fazliddin Parpiyev from a deportation centre in Ankara on 26 May, his Turkish lawyer Gülden Sönmez told Forum 18. Imam Parpiyev fled Uzbekistan in December 2018. After the Uzbek authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2025 over his religious posts online, the Turkish authorities arrested him and transferred him to a deportation centre (see below).

After Imam Parpiyev's May release, Russia put him back on its Federal Wanted List at the Uzbek government's request (see below).

Akparov: Investigator's vague accusation about Telegram channel

Police in the south-eastern city of Samarkand began monitoring a Shia social media channel on Telegram with 94 Uzbek Shia Muslim members in February 2024, according to the subsequent decision on criminal prosecution (seen by Forum 18) prepared by Senior Lieutenant Shokhrukh Asliddinov, an Investigator of Samarkand Police.

After monitoring the channel for more than two years, Police decided on 1 May 2026 to bring an action against the owner of the Telegram channel, local Shia Muslim Sunnatillo Ikram ugli Akparov (born 20 February 2004), the decision adds.

On 6 May, Police asked the Religious Affairs Committee in Tashkent for an "expert analysis" of marthiyas (Shia musical lamentations) distributed on the Telegram channel. It appears the Committee "experts" produced their analysis on the same day. The "experts" found that the "information distributed by Akparov to the members of the group via Telegram encouraged the activity and teachings of various ideological movements".

Investigator Asliddinov gave a vague accusation as the reason for opening the criminal case against Akparov. He stated in the decision that he opened the case because of the Religious Affairs Committee "expert analysis". The decision gives no other serious reasons to support the charges.

Akparov: Sharing well-known Shia lamentation songs a reason for criminal prosecution?

Senior Lieutenant Shokhrukh Asliddinov, Investigator of Samarkand Police, led the investigation of Sunnatillo Akparov and signed the decision to open the case. The decision claims that Akparov "illegally distributed religious hymns [Shia lamentation - marthiya] (..) titled 'Al Qawlu Qawlu Sawarim', 'Darbuna darbun', 'Habat Riyah al Asifa', and 'Axi Anta Hurrun' to the members of the Telegram group, using the Internet and a mobile phone".

Shakhrizod Isroilov, a Shia from Samarkand who himself fled Uzbekistan in summer 2021 under pressure from Uzbekistan's authorities to stop his religious activity, had sent some of the marthiyas to Akparov, he told Forum 18 on 10 August 2026. But he insisted that he sent only "Darbuna darbun" and "Axi Anta Hurrun".

"It looks like the Police may have interfered into Akparov's phone and downloaded some other marthiyas into it," Isroilov complained.

"The meaning of the marthiyas I sent is that we should not worry and that Allah will make everything right in the last days and will punish those who kill the believers," Isroilov explained to Forum 18. "It is a message of encouragement especially to those weaker in faith and who may be discouraged thinking of the death of faith martyrs. There are no calls in the marthiyas I sent to radical religious movements or actions against Uzbekistan's authorities."

Generally accepted in the Shia Muslim understanding of marthiyas is that they evoke the battle of Karbala in October 680. They aim to portray the courage and determination of the followers of Imam Husayn, who according to Shias was martyred for his faith.

Reached on 13 August, Investigator Asliddinov at first denied he investigated the criminal case against Akparov. When Forum 18 told him that it has seen a copy of his decision to open the criminal investigation and asked why the Police in Samarkand has been carrying out massive raids and arrested members of the local Shia community, he responded: "I do not know you. You should talk to the Interior Ministry and not me." He then put the phone down.

Akparov: Police bring criminal charges

On 4 June, Samarkand District Police brought criminal charges against Sunnatillo Akparov under Criminal Code Article 244-1, Part 3, Point 4 ("Production, storage, distribution or display of materials containing a threat to public security and public order with use of the mass media or telecommunication networks as well as the internet" when carried out by a group). Punishment is a jail term of 5 to 8 years.

Police arrested Akparov on 23 June and took him to Kattakurgan Investigation Prison in Samarkand Region. Akparov's mother travelled to the prison in early August to try to see him, but prison officials did not grant this. They told her she could see him only after the trial. Forum 18 has learned that Akparov's relatives are afraid to talk to the media about the arrest for fear of state reprisals.

The first lawyer the family hired to defend Akparov told them that "I will not be able to save your son because it looks like the authorities are intent on imprisoning him," Shia Muslims living outside Uzbekistan told Forum 18. The family then hired a second lawyer.

"One reason we believe so is because he was directly sent to the prison without a trial and was not kept in police custody," one Shia commented.

Alisher Nigmatov is an official of the Special Unit of Kattakurgan Investigation Prison responsible for transport and security of the prisoners as well as investigation of incidents. He adamantly denied to Forum 18 on 13 August that Akparov is being held at the Investigation Prison. When Forum 18 told him that it is aware that his relatives tried to visit him there, Nigmatov responded: "He was not transferred here." He refused to say anything on the conditions of Akparov's detention and refused to talk to Forum 18 further.

Akparov's current address in Investigation Prison:

140800 Samarqand viloyati
Kattaqorgon shahri
Davlatobod kochasi 123
7-sonli viloyat tergov hibsxonasi joylashgan joy

Anvar Aliyev: Another Shia serving four-year suspended sentence

Judge Zhamshid Ibragimov of Samarkand City Criminal Court found Shia Muslim Anvar Shavkatovich Aliyev (born 6 January 1990) guilty on 6 October 2025 for similar charges under Criminal Code Article 244-1, Part 3, Point 4. Judge Ibragimov handed Aliyev a suspended four-year prison sentence.

Aliyev had been kept in police custody for almost three months until the trial. He was released in the Court room when the verdict was handed down.

Samarkand City Police had arrested Aliyev on 14 July 2025. State Security Service (SSS) secret police investigators then opened a criminal case against him on charges of "Production, storage, distribution or display of materials containing a threat to public security and public order" when carried out by a group (Criminal Code Article 244-1, Part 3, Point 4). The charges related to a Telegram group where members discussed their Shia faith. Aliyev did not appeal against his conviction.

Officials at Samarkand City Court, including Judge Ibragimov, did not answer their phones each time Forum 18 called on 19 November 2025.

Aliyev is "still serving his house arrest, strictly following the conditions of it", Shia believers told Forum 18 in August 2026. "He is working at his home as a car mechanic and repairs car-parts."

Samarkand authorities constantly raid homes of Shias without warrants?

Police raided and searched the homes of at least ten Shia men in Samarkand City since May without official warrants, Shia Muslims living outside Uzbekistan complained to Forum 18.

"Many of those Shia men do not want to give their names or details for fear of state reprisals," Shakhrizod Isroilov, a Shia who himself fled Uzbekistan in summer 2021, told Forum 18 on 10 August 2026. Among the raided homes of the ten men were those of Isroilov and Sukhrob Komil ugli, who also fled Uzbekistan for fear of punishment by the authorities.

"Since summer 2021," Isroilov complained to Forum 18, "the State Security Service (SSS) secret police and Interior Ministry led by Samarkand City Police have made between fifteen and twenty searches in my parents' home in Samarkand City without any warrants".

Isroilov: Father died following "constant pressure" by Police

Shakhrizod Isroilov says his father died on 17 November 2025 after another police search in the family home in Samarkand. "The Police and other authorities had put my father under constant pressure and he had developed diabetes because of huge stress. He had already had two micro-strokes," Isroilov lamented.

The authorities searched Isroilov's parental home again in summer 2026 after they arrested Akparov. "They are terrorising my mother, who is an elderly woman and lives alone," Isroilov complained.

Isroilov: On wanted list

The SSS secret police arrested Shakhrizod Isroilov in 2021. A court handed him a 15-day jail term. He says he was tortured while in custody. Officials threatened that next time he would be handed a long jail term and that only his body would leave prison, he told Forum 18. He then fled Uzbekistan.

Samarkand Regional Police added Isroilov (given as Shakhrizod Jurakulovich Israilov, born 28 June 1985) to its wanted list. It claimed he had been wanted on charges of extortion since 2018. Isroilov insisted to Forum 18 that these charges were brought only in 2021 after he had fled Uzbekistan.

Russia placed Isroilov on its Federal Wanted List at Uzbekistan's request. If he is caught in Uzbekistan, arrives in Uzbekistan or is caught in states that are friendly to Uzbekistan (such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia or Tajikistan), he risks immediate arrest (and immediate transfer to Uzbekistan) as investigators complete any criminal case.

It appears that after the criminal case was launched against Sunnatillo Akparov, Police also opened an investigation against Isroilov under Criminal Code Article 244-1, Part 3, Point 4 ("Production, storage, distribution or display of materials containing a threat to public security and public order with use of the mass media or telecommunication networks as well as the internet" when carried out by a group).

Asked why a search warrant was issued for Isroilov, Samarkand Regional Police on 13 August referred Forum 18 to Officer Amir Alimov from the Police's International Relations Division. Alimov the same day referred Forum 18 to Bobur Rozykov, Senior Officer on extradition of the Regional Police.

Officer Rozykov on 13 August could not say why the Interior Ministry brought extremism-related charges against Isroilov. "As far as I know, Isroilov is wanted for extortion." Told that Forum 18 knows that Isroilov was also charged with extremism-related offences and asked why Isroilov was not questioned or prosecuted for extortion when he was under administrative arrest in 2021 for his religious activity, Rozykov could not answer. "I will write to you later if I find any information on that," he claimed.

Ziyakhojayev: Supreme Court rejects appeal over Facebook posts

A Tashkent court handed local Sunni Muslim Gayrat Ziyakhojayev a fine of one month's average wage in October 2025 for reposting a video on his Facebook account of a sermon by a state-approved Imam. Judge Odil Ilkhomjonov refused to say why - in violation of procedure - he heard the appeal in Ziyakhojayev's absence. "I cannot tell you why. It is an internal matter. And if the defendant is unhappy, he can appeal against my decision," he told Forum 18.

On 10 December 2025, police prevented Ziyakhojayev from attending his appeal hearing against the fine at Tashkent City Criminal Court.

In early 2026, Ziyakhojayev lodged a further appeal against the fine to the Supreme Court in Tashkent. On 4 March, Judge Abrorkhon Akramov dismissed his appeal, according to the decision seen by Forum 18.

Ziyakhojayev is considering finding a way to complain to the Constitutional Court in Tashkent. (The Constitutional Court is not empowered to review lower court decisions.)

Ziyakhojayev: "Police are trying to intimidate me"

On 22 June, Tashkent's Shoykhontohur Police called Gayrat Ziyakhojayev. An unnamed officer demanded that he come to the Police station and bring his complaint that he sent to the Supreme Court. "The officer did not give me his name and told me that I will learn his name when I go the Police station. I told the officer on the phone that I will not go there," Ziyakhojayev told Forum 18.

The same Police Officer called Ziyakhojayev several times in late June and demanded that he must appear before the Police. He then stopped calling him.

Ziyakhojayev told Forum 18 that he thinks that "this way the Police are trying to intimidate me and discourage me from complaining. And I do not understand how they learned about my intention to complain to the Court."

The duty officer at Shoykhontohur Police on 13 August gave his first name as Umid (he refused to give his last name). He refused to answer Forum 18's questions, including as to why the Police summoned Ziyakhojayev to their police station and on what grounds they wanted to examine the text of his appeal to the Supreme Court. "Who gave you our number?" he responded. "We cannot talk to you over the phone." He then refused to talk further to Forum 18.

Parpiyev: Turkish authorities free former Tashkent imam

Former Tashkent Sunni Muslim imam Fazliddin Parpiyev fled Uzbekistan in December 2018 "for my safety" after appealing to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev "as Muslims .. cannot have full freedom of religion and belief". He went to Turkey, where he received Turkish citizenship.

In March 2025, at the request of the District Prosecutor, Tashkent's Uchteppa District Court ordered Imam Parpiyev's detention. The court decision said he had been charged under Uzbekistan's Criminal Code Article 244, Part 3 for religious posts on his online channels. It appears the charges have been brought under Article 244-1, Part 3 ("Production, storage, distribution or display of materials containing a threat to public security and public order with use of the mass media or telecommunication networks as well as the internet" when carried out by a group).

The Turkish authorities stripped Imam Parpiyev of Turkish citizenship in May 2025.

Police in the Turkish city of Istanbul arrested Imam Parpiyev on 25 December 2025. The arrest came "at the request of Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Türkiye". Police took him to a Turkish deportation centre in the capital Ankara to await extradition or deportation to Uzbekistan.

The Turkish authorities released Imam Parpiyev from the detention centre on 26 May 2026, his Turkish lawyer Gülden Sönmez told Forum 18 on 3 June.

After his December 2025 detention, Russia removed Imam Parpiyev from its Federal Wanted List. He had been added to it in 2025 at Uzbekistan's request. Russia added him again to its Federal Wanted List after the Turkish authorities released him in May 2026.

If Imam Parpiyev is returned to Uzbekistan, he is likely to be arrested, tried and jailed. (END)

More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Uzbekistan

For background information, see Forum 18's Uzbekistan religious freedom survey

Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments

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