Uzbekistan sentences eight people for financing terrorism

Eight individuals have been convicted in Uzbekistan for financing terrorist activity in Syria under the guise of charitable donations, the State Security Service of Uzbekistan has stated.

It said the convicted persons were aged between 28 and 39 and lived in Tashkent as well as in the Samarkand, Bukhara, Andijan, and Fergana regions, Caliber.Az reports, citing Uzbek media.

Investigators said the defendants came under the influence of a media blogger linked to the terrorist organisation “Guraba Katibasi,” which operates in Syria.

The convicted individuals transferred funds to Kyrgyz citizen Abdulmukhsen Usmanov, known under the alias Saad Mukhtar.

The SSS stated that he organised fundraising via Telegram, allegedly to help victims in Palestine, but in reality, the money was directed to support terrorists in Syria.

Seven of the defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to eight years. One individual received a sentence of four years and four months of restricted freedom.

The security service reminded that Article 155-3 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code provides for penalties of up to 15 years in prison for financing terrorism.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov