Tashkent court judges detained after controversial release of Akmal Shukurov

Criminal cases have been opened under the relevant articles against Tashkent City Court criminal judges Odilbek Ilhomjonov, Mirziyod Abidov and Muhtarama Turgunova, as well as Murodjon Mirzajonov, deputy chair of the Tashkent City Court and chair of the criminal judicial panel.

“Criminal proceedings have been initiated against former deputy chair of the Tashkent City Court Muradjon Mirzajonov under Article 231, Part 2, and Article 236, Part 2, of the Criminal Code, as well as against former city court criminal judges Odilbek Ilhomjonov, Mirziyod Abidov and Muhtarama Turgunova under Article 231, Part 2, of the Criminal Code,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement.

According to the case materials, A. Shukurov was found guilty by the Mirzo Ulugbek District Criminal Court of committing fraud involving the large-scale unlawful acquisition of another person’s property, hooliganism, and intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm. He was convicted under several articles of the Criminal Code and sentenced to 8 years and 1 month of imprisonment.

Disagreeing with the verdict, the defendant A. Shukurov filed an appeal. The appeal was reviewed by appellate judges O. Ilhomjonov, M. Abidov and M. Turgunova, who concluded that the first-instance verdict should be amended and, by applying Article 57 of the Criminal Code, the sentence should be reduced to 3 years of imprisonment.

However, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Tashkent City Court Deputy Chair M. Mirzajonov abused his official position, obstructed a comprehensive, complete and impartial examination of the case, interfered in judicial proceedings, and unlawfully exerted influence on the judges. As a result, the judges, while knowing in advance that his instructions were unlawful and despite being independent in administering justice and making decisions, failed to adhere to the principle of the inevitability of liability. They amended the first-instance verdict, applied Article 57 of the Criminal Code, revoked the preventive measure of detention, and ultimately replaced the punishment with 3 years and 3 months of restriction of liberty. Shukurov was released from custody directly in the courtroom, and an unlawful and unjust ruling with serious consequences was issued.

Based on the above, within the framework of the criminal case, the deputy chair of the city court M. Mirzajonov and criminal judges O. Ilhomjonov, M. Abidov and M. Turgunova have been brought into the case as defendants, and a preventive measure in the form of detention has been applied.

Preliminary investigative actions are currently being conducted by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The Akmal Shukurov case

Shukurov’s criminal case consists of five episodes, the most high-profile of which is linked to the beating of several people in front of The Tower hotel in Yakkasaroy District in September 2025.

At the time, he struck Boris Avakyan, who was attempting to defend an acquaintance outside a nightclub, delivering a powerful blow that left him in a coma. Shukurov then fled the scene, was later detained in Kazakhstan, and extradited to Uzbekistan.

The victim sustained serious, life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury. According to his family, he underwent emergency craniotomy surgery and was subsequently placed in an induced coma.

By a verdict of the Mirzo Ulugbek District Criminal Court dated October 24, 2025, Akmal Shukurov was found guilty of intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm, fraud and hooliganism, and was sentenced to 8 years and 1 month of imprisonment.

By a ruling of December 9, the appellate panel of the Tashkent City Court for criminal cases replaced the sentence of 8 years and 1 month of imprisonment with 4 years and 1 month of restriction of liberty and immediately released Akmal Shukurov from custody in the courtroom (The discrepancy in the sentence length stems from the deduction of time already served. The appellate court initially replaced the sentence with 4 years and 1 month of restriction of liberty, after which the time Shukurov had spent in custody was credited under preferential calculation rules, reducing the final term to 3 years and 3 months – ed.).

After the case triggered widespread public outcry in the media, on December 18 it was reviewed again by the cassation instance based on a protest filed by the Tashkent City Prosecutor’s Office. Shukurov was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment and returned to custody. Subsequently, an internal service investigation was launched against the judges who reviewed the case on appeal, and shortly afterward it was reported that they had been dismissed from their positions.