Bribery, Blackmail, and Threats as a Form of Political Pressure by the Regime of Shavkat Mirziyoyev

On January 24, 2026, starting at 21:12 Central European Time (CET) and continuing until noon on January 25, an organized attempt of pressure involving threats, blackmail, and attempted bribery was directed at the political opposition movement Erkin O'zbekiston. Anonymous Telegram accounts, “Dark Vektor” and “John Doe,” acted with a single objective: to forcibly compel the removal of the two most recent videos from the YouTube channel @erkinozbekiston.

These individuals issued ultimatum-style demands for the immediate deletion of the videos “Saida Mirziyoyeva niqobini yechib tashladi” and “Саида Мирзиёева сбросила маску” (Saida Mirziyoyeva Has Dropped the Mask) from the @erkinozbekiston YouTube channel. The videos publicly addressed information concerning alleged crimes involving Saida Mirziyoyeva, the daughter of the President of Uzbekistan, and her boyfriend, Komil Allamzhanov. Bribery and threats to block the @erkinozbekiston YouTube channel were used as the primary tools of pressure.

The political opposition movement Erkin O'zbekiston officially declares: we do not engage in, and will not engage in, any negotiations with representatives of the cowardly and despicable Mirziyoyev regime, whose leaders act servilely before foreign heads of state while simultaneously displaying arrogance and contempt toward their own citizens. Any attempts at pressure, bribery, or intimidation are regarded by us as proof of the weakness and fear of Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s regime in the face of public truth.

All correspondence, including threats, elements of extortion, and corrupt offers, has been documented and preserved. These materials will be used at our discretion—in the public, legal, and international arenas. Neither anonymous operatives, nor intermediaries, nor backroom deals are capable of changing our position.

Attempts to force the removal of the video materials have failed: the videos remain publicly accessible, their audience has exceeded 600,000 views (as of the time of publication), and the @erkinozbekiston YouTube channel continues to operate without restrictions. The only result of the pressure was the removal of seven posts from an Instagram account "Hasanboy Burhanov" (using the email address: shernazarov9300@gmail.com) — a clear demonstration of the use of digital censorship mechanisms and administrative leverage.

We state this clearly and definitively: the Shavkat Mirziyoyev regime may be capable of blocking all of our information resources, but it is incapable of destroying our determination to bring it before an open and fair court. The regime will inevitably be held accountable for all crimes committed against the peaceful citizens of our country.