Criminal case against Mubashshir Ahmad submitted to court

According to the lawyer, the scholar is facing charges under three articles of the Criminal Code. One of the charges stems from allegations that his materials about the Israeli genocide in Gaza contained signs of “inciting national, racial, ethnic, or religious hatred.”

Mubashshir Ahmad was deported from Turkey to Uzbekistan on 10 May 2025 and has remained in custody for 75 days. The initial investigation was conducted by the Investigative Department of the State Security Service (SSS), the lawyer said.

“Now that the criminal case has been finalized and submitted to court, I find it necessary, as his attorney, to briefly share some of the details of the case and his personal stance,” Sodiqov wrote in a 24 July post on Facebook.

Timeline and charges

The investigation was initially opened on 11 August 2023 by the investigator of the Shaykhontohur District Department for the Coordination of Internal Affairs. The case was launched under Article 244-3 of the Criminal Code, which covers the illegal preparation, storage, distribution, or import of religious materials. For such an act to be considered a criminal offense, the individual must have previously received an administrative penalty for a similar violation.

According to the lawyer, Mubashshir Ahmad was fined in 2023 for distributing religious content on Azon TV without obtaining an expert opinion from the Committee on Religious Affairs. Since the action allegedly repeated later that same year, criminal proceedings were initiated.

Following his detention on 11 May 2025, a new charge was added under Article 244-1, Part 3, Clause (g) – the dissemination of materials that threaten public order via mass media or the internet. This accusation is based on a video conversation posted on Mubashshir Ahmad’s personal Telegram channel.

Sodiqov stated that after the arrest, Mubashshir Ahmad repeatedly requested to be represented by lawyers of his choosing, but the request was denied. As a result, he refused to sign any investigation-related documents. Although his defense attorneys attempted to contact the investigator multiple times and even sent text messages, the investigator ignored the requests and continued procedural steps – including filing charges and seeking pretrial detention – with a state-appointed lawyer.

On 14 May 2025, the case was transferred to the Investigative Department of the State Security Service. During this period, the lawyer faced difficulties meeting with his client. Later, during an interview, Mubashshir Ahmad confirmed he had been treated decently and had not experienced any psychological or physical pressure.

Allegations and expert review

During the investigation, the international media channel Azon Global was reviewed. Authorities found that it had not committed any crimes against the Republic of Uzbekistan or any serious offenses against peace and security. However, some of the scholar’s public commentary regarding Israeli actions in Gaza was deemed to contain elements of “inciting national, racial, ethnic, or religious hatred,” and an additional charge was filed under Article 156, Part 2 of the Criminal Code.

In response to the accusations, Mubashshir Ahmad stated that he did not believe it was necessary to obtain approval from the Uzbek Committee on Religious Affairs, as his media activities were based in Turkey and thus outside Uzbekistan’s territorial jurisdiction. He emphasized that his actions were not motivated by disregard for the law.

Lawyer Ruslan Sodiqov said he intends to use every legal opportunity to question expert opinions and uphold the principles of adversarial proceedings and the pursuit of truth, as enshrined in the Criminal Procedure Code. The date and location of the trial have not yet been disclosed.

Background

Mubashshir Ahmad, 51, was detained in Turkey on 8 May 2025 and deported to Uzbekistan two days later. He is well known in the Uzbek segment of social media for his work with Azon.uz and Azon TV, educational platforms active in Uzbekistan for several years. He is also the author of several religious books.

Mubashshir Ahmad had been living in Turkey for several years. In late 2023, Turkish police detained him at his residence on suspicion of posing a threat to public security. He was held in a deportation center for 55 days but was released in February 2024 due to lack of evidence.