The Tashkent regional court on December 13 rejected an appeal filed by blogger Lemara Mirzaahmedova against the 7 1/2-year prison sentence she received in October on charges of defamation, slander, and extortion that stemmed from her social-media posts criticizing the government. Mirzaahmedova was arrested in early March. Her supporters say the case against her is retaliation by the authorities. Human rights watchdogs have criticized Tashkent for increasing criminal cases against independent bloggers in recent years. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, click here.
Uzbek Blogger's Appeal Against Imprisonment For Social-Media Posts Rejected
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