Energy Minister Mirzamakhmudov files complaint against economist Bakirov over critical post

Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov has filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office and internal affairs authorities against economist and public activist Otabek Bakirov. Bakirov made this statement on his Telegram channel.

The complaint stems from a post Bakirov published on his Telegram channel in the summer of 2023, discussing accidents and repair work at the Sagbon substation in Tashkent.

"According to Minister Mirzamakhmudov, the content of the post contains insults and defamation, and appropriate measures must be taken against me regarding this matter," Bakirov said.

Interestingly, the post, which covered the ongoing issues with the Sagbon substation — where a statue is planned to be erected — was written on June 5, 2023, over a year ago. However, Minister Mirzamakhmudov submitted the complaint to the authorities on October 10, 2024, which is more than a year after the post was published.

Bakirov also pointed out that the minister filed the complaint just six days after being a guest on the "Lolazor" podcast.

"If I’m not mistaken, after the first episode of Lolazor, at the invitation of energy workers (who said the minister would come), we also visited the constantly under-repair Sagbon substation and even made a small report about it," he added.

Bakirov clarified that the complaint was filed by Minister (!) Mirzamakhmudov, not by a private citizen. The complaint is currently being investigated by the Cybersecurity Division of the Tashkent City Department of Internal Affairs.