A prominent cleric went on trial in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on charges of promoting extremism and inciting hatred against Israel, in one of the highest-profile religious cases in the Muslim majority Central Asian nation in years.
Alisher Tursunov, 51, commonly known as Mubashshir Ahmad, was charged with inciting religious hatred, distribution of materials that threaten public order and illegal distribution of materials with religious content.
He faces up to eight years in prison.
The cleric, who was living in Turkey, was arrested and extradited to Uzbekistan in May 2025.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, local media reported.
In a post on his Telegram channel, Tursunov spoke out in favor of a religious ruling issued by a Qatar-based group the International Union of Muslim Scholars advocating for jihad against Israel over “the bloodshed in Gaza.”
