The Interior Ministry declined to initiate a case based on the complaint filed by Uzbekistan's Minister of Energy.

The Main Department of Internal Affairs (GUVD) of Tashkent has made the decision to decline the initiation of a criminal case based on a complaint from Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov against economist and blogger Otabek Bakirov. This information was disclosed by Bakirov himself on his Telegram channel.

The minister's complaint was triggered by a post made by Bakirov on social media, dated June 5, 2023. Mirzamakhmudov deemed the content of the post offensive and damaging to his reputation, demanding that the economist be held accountable.

However, an investigation conducted by law enforcement agencies found no grounds for initiating a criminal case. An additional factor influencing the GUVD's decision was the time elapsed since the publication, which occurred more than a year and a half ago.

“I express my gratitude to law enforcement officers for their prompt consideration of this matter,” Otabek Bakirov noted in his message.

The economist's criticism was provoked by the repeated repair work at the “Sagbon” substation. In his post, Bakirov advised Minister Mirzamakhmudov to focus on addressing the energy infrastructure issues in Uzbekistan, rather than on “matters related to the Kremlin and Gazprom.”