Supreme Judicial Council triggers legal action against "Effekt.uz" chief for alleged false reporting on judiciary

According to Daryo, the initial court session was held on April 14, 2025, at the Mirzo Ulugbek District Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Jahongir Saidov. During the hearing, it was revealed that Eshonkhonov is being charged with disseminating false information.

At the start of the hearing, Judge Saidov announced that the session was open but prohibited media representatives from taking photos, videos, or audio recordings. He stated that journalists could attend only as observers and take handwritten notes, adding that he had no objection to them later using the information to prepare materials.

In response, one of the defense lawyers objected, saying: "With this action, you’ve essentially preemptively rejected any future petitions we might submit on this matter. This raises doubts about your impartiality in handling the case."

Judge Saidov replied that he had issued a special ruling on the matter and had no intention of revisiting it. The defense then requested permission to record audio of the session under the supervision of the judge or a court assistant, with the recordings to be shared with both parties after the trial concluded. This request was also denied. Following that, both the defense attorneys and the defendant challenged the judge’s impartiality and filed a motion for his recusal — which was also rejected.

In his testimony, Akmal Eshonkhonov stated that he was not the author of the articles about the Supreme Judicial Council and its activities, and that the Ministry of Internal Affairs officer responsible for initiating the case had failed to verify this before submitting it to court.

"Even if I were the author of the article and was being charged because of that, I wouldn’t take it personally," Eshonkhonov said.

He also claimed that the Supreme Judicial Council had never formally requested a retraction from the editorial office and that if such a request had been made, he would have been willing to publish one.

Judge Saidov then questioned Eshonkhonov about the article titled “Questions for Kholmumin Yodgorov”, published by the editorial office on February 15, 2025. The judge specifically referred to the part stating:

"Despite being deemed unfit for judicial appointment by the High Qualification Board of Judges, B.A. was appointed as a judge of the Termiz City Criminal Court by a 2021 decision of the Supreme Judicial Council. Similarly, T.Sh. was appointed chair of the Yakkabog District Criminal Court, K.R. to the Karakul Interdistrict Court, S.B. to the Gulistan District Criminal Court, A.U. to the Yangiyol Interdistrict Court, A.S. to the Mirzo Ulugbek Interdistrict Court, and S.N. to the Bukhara Interdistrict Economic Court. The list goes on, and the editorial team has enough information about many other judges and court chairs who received appointments."

The judge asked for evidence to support this statement. He also inquired whether, as the director of the editorial office, Eshonkhonov reviewed each article prior to publication and gave final approval.

Initially, Eshonkhonov responded that he could not disclose the source of the information. However, after his lawyers provided clarification, he said:

"We have the relevant document. I can provide the date and reference number, but I will not reveal the source."

In response to a follow-up question, he confirmed that the article had passed through the editorial board and that he had personally authorized its publication.

The court granted Eshonkhonov time to submit the requested documents, and the hearing was adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on April 16.

What sparked the conflict between the editorial office and the Supreme Judicial Council?

On February 6, 2025, Effekt.uz published an article titled “Have Judges Lost Their Sense of Restraint — or Have Yodgorov and Islomov Lost Control?”, alleging widespread corruption among judges. The article suggested that Supreme Judicial Council Chairman Kholmumin Yodgorov may be responsible for these issues.

The Council’s press office responded, stating that while perfection is not claimed, bias would not be tolerated. They criticized the article as one-sided, emotionally charged, and lacking sufficient evidence, claiming it was written to discredit the judiciary, its leadership, and its members.

In a follow-up article, an Effekt.uz journalist continued the topic and addressed questions directly to Chairman Yodgorov. In response, officials labeled the article a “targeted media attack” against the Supreme Judicial Council, stating:

"This cannot be considered a valid expression of freedom of speech. True freedom of speech requires impartiality, responsibility for shared information, and strict adherence to the presumption of innocence. The article violated these legal and ethical principles and contradicts the publication’s stated mission."

Later, according to Effekt.uz, Chairman Yodgorov submitted a formal complaint to the Prosecutor General’s Office. The case was forwarded to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which sent it to the Mirzo Ulugbek District Police Department — eventually leading to the ongoing trial.