There are two ways to fight defects in the society: the first one is to struggle against corrupt officials and the second one is to struggle against the dictatorship, which has been the reason for corruption to root.

I must admit that I was not courageous to openly protest against the existing regime in the country. I fought against corruption. Because I believed that the government is not to blame for these crimes. I blamed only medium and low level officials, who abuse confidence of the government and the nation. But after I became a “criminal” in the course of my struggle against corrupt officials, I deeply realized the whole harmfulness of this regime.

Today, addressing the Uzbek nation, I do not want to mention all the problems I personally confronted with because if I write about everything I had to experience, one book would not be enough. Today I just want to tell about the unfortunate fate of one young athlete, who was the reason why I became a “criminal”.

… I faced a lot of difficulties when I began to study causes of organized conspiracy and criminal actions against Bekzod Rakhimboyev, a multiple hand-to-hand fighting and kickboxing champion of Uzbekistan and Central Asia. Sometimes I had to have serious debates, arguing with some prosecutors, judges, in particular with Abdukahhor Tukhtaboev, the prosecutor of Mirzo Ulugbek district of the city of Tashkent city, Sadullo Ashurmatov, the chairman of the criminal court of Mirzo Ulugbek district, Olim Khamidov, the head of the Investigation Department of Internal Affairs of the same district, and other investigators of this department, who, instead of protecting young talented people, on the contrary, cut their roots and break their spirit. They accused Bekzod Rakhimboyev of committing serious crimes such as humiliation of honor and dignity, rape and robbery. In other words, they accused him of raping a girl, disgracing her and taking her jewelries.

During my journalism investigation, I was convinced that all these charges against Bekzod Rakhimboyev, from the beginning to the end, was slander, fiction, lies and plot intentionally organized by jealous people. According to Bekzod and his mother, during a kickboxing competition in Kazakhstan, before Bekzod became a champion, he was approached by some people during a break. They told him that another fighter must win, and asked him to understand them correctly. In exchange, they promised Bekzod a big “reward” (bribe). However, Bekzod told them that he did not agree with such a scam.

He told them that each candidate for championship has to make achievements not by means of fraud, but in an honest way relying on his own strength. He categorically rejected the proposal of “the ambassadors” with courage peculiar to athletes. He honestly won the fight, and became the winner. Then “the ambassadors”, whose names remained unknown and who failed to achieve their goal, promised him to pay him back and take revenge upon him. “You’ll regret the day you were born into this world for refusing proposal!” those people threatened the young athlete.

And indeed, some time later, Bekzod was prosecuted in May 2012. It appeared that some swindlers, investigators from Internal Affairs Department of Internal Affairs headed by Olim Khamidov, used a female student from the Department of Economics and Philosophy of the Uzbek National University for conspiracy against the champion. First, the student was unwilling as she did not want false information and rumors being spread about her alleged rape, which could be harmful for her future.

However, after categorical demands, intimidation, threats and strong pressure from the part of senior representatives and prosecutors from the Internal Affairs Department of Mirzo Ulugbek district, the young lady was forced to write a statement against Bekzod. Later on, the young lady made confessions and said she was regretful, and asked the family of the champion to forgive her. She also wrote a statement for an investigator, according to which Bekzod did not commit anything wrong against her. During the new investigation, the national forensic examination also found out that the young lady was virgin.

Despite this, the criminal case against Bekzod was not closed. However, no one appeared to be brave to listen to the complaint of Nodira Buldiyeva, the mother of champion Bekzod Rakhimboyev, to help positively solve this problem. The mother, who accompanied her son when he was arrested and taken to the police department of Mirzo Ulugbek district, raised the alarm, saying that her son was illegally kept in the police department and tortured. The day Bekzod was arrested, at midnight investigators took his mother into another room, and applied electric shock, as a result of which the man fainted.

Nodira Buldiyeva applied to all existing government bodies seeking protection for her son. But after no one even listened to her, she sought help in the “Life and Law” section of “of Uzbekistan” Radio Station.

In July 2012 during live broadcast, she announced her dissatisfaction with the actions of law enforcement bodies of Uzbekistan, and described how she fruitlessly visited government bodies, and stated that “there is no justice in Uzbekistan”. Her appeal to the general public outraged and made senior officials​​ shudder. The lady spoke about her harrowing mental suffering in a live broadcast on the wave of “Uzbekistan” Radio Station for 14 minutes! A scandal broke out at the radio even before the lady finished her appeal…

Here I cannot help quoting great historical personality Napoleon Bonaparte, who said about the press: “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets!” And indeed, that was what happened. Never-ending calls from “above”, endless questioning, investigations and threats were intertwined in a very terrible way. Once the problem was voiced in live broadcast, many people decided to stand up for the champion. Also, much more people appeared who desperately decided to “shut my mouth” because I was the reasons of “explosion” in live broadcast…

I was reprimanded for my willfulness. However, that was not enough for them. A corrupt chain targeted me as another pray. Groundless slander was organized against me, and I was charged according to articles 210, 211, 168 of the Criminal Code following complaints written on March 18, 2013 by an Ulugbek Nematov and Tura Kodirov. The complaints addressed to A. Khozhayev, the Chairman of the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan, claimed that in June 2009 I took US $2,000 from each of them “by means of fraud”.

Although during a confrontation with witnesses, those two slanderers failed to produce any evidence of when and in which bank they cashed the money that I fraudulently took from them. They could not even say what banknotes were used. Even the fake document they obtained in the bank as “evidence” was not logically acknowledged. And here a logical question emerges – if I fraudulently took the money from them, why did they decide to write a statement against me only in July 2013?

I made a statement addressed to the President, the National Security Council and a number of relevant authorities about the threats and harassment against me and my family. I even attached audio records to my statement, revealing tricks of a large criminal group, a large corrupt chain, to which the two slanderers belonged. However, that did not bring any results. On the contrary, after six months of investigations, I was found “guilty” and those who threatened me were announced “not guilty”.

The president, who made big promises from high tribunes confidently telling us “Do not be afraid of anyone or anything, write justly and nothing but the truth! Here I am your protector!” unfortunately could not protect me at a crucial stage of my life. When I fought for justice and truth, when I had troubles, and expected justice to triumph, all my appeals for help fruitlessly disappeared.

In fact, I, like many of my ordinary and simple-hearted compatriots, unfortunately believed promises of the President.

Today, this trust is cracked. We can say that this trust has completely extinguished…

Today, carefully looking back into my life in the past, my work, I realized all the mistakes I made. And being alone with my conscience, I have decided that it is necessary to tell the public the real truth.

As a representative of the pro-government media in Uzbekistan, I supported the policy of the government, criticized reports of international organizations on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan. I realized that I and local journalists like me are strongly to blame for such a situation in the country. I am sorry about this, my conscience is being tormented.

I bring apologies to the nation and my compatriots for this. If you can forgive the journalist, who was deceived by the policy he trusted and which he personally promoted, who fell victim to widespread corruption under the patronage of the regime which he personally defended, please, forgive me…

With respect to all of you, Narzullo OKHUNZHONOV