A horrifying incident occurred in Khorezm region. A man raped a girl and recorded the entire process on video. Now, he is extorting money from her to prevent the spread of the footage.

The anti-violence project «Nemolchi.uz» received a request for help from a girl whose sister was raped by a man she knew, who subsequently shared photos and videos of the rape on the internet.

According to the victim, the incident took place at the end of December 2023 in one of the districts of Khorezm region. The man forcibly seated her in a «Damas» car when she was returning home, took her to a deserted place, and, threatening her with a knife, raped her. He recorded the entire incident on his mobile phone camera. After the assault, the man, identified as Said (name changed), threatened the girl with violence and the dissemination of the photos and videos if she told anyone about the incident. He also claimed that he was not afraid of law enforcement and could «settle» any matter.

Terrified, the girl did not tell anyone about what happened. However, Said did not stop there. He began to extort money from her in exchange for not spreading the video and photos. Initially, he demanded one million sums. When the girl could not come up with the money, Said posted naked photos of her along with her phone number and degrading comments on a social network.

After this, the girl told her sister everything. In mid-February 2024, the victim filed a complaint with law enforcement regarding the distribution of photos and videos, as well as information defaming her honor and dignity. The investigator initiated an administrative case under Article 41 (insult) of the Administrative Responsibility Code, but the case did not progress.

Said continued to extort money. In April, the girl filed another complaint. As a result of operational measures, Said was caught during a money transfer. His phone, containing the very photos and videos he had previously shared online, was confiscated. Nearly a month later, a criminal case for extortion was initiated. During questioning, the girl reported the rape and filed a corresponding complaint. However, the initiation of a criminal case for rape was denied.

As of now, the extortion case, initiated on May 4, 2024, is still under investigation and has not been forwarded to court. Despite the discovered video recordings of the rape on his phone, the rape case was closed for unknown reasons. According to the girl, Said told her that, with the help of his lawyer, he had «bought off» the investigator and that the case would soon be closed. Said continues to send humiliating and offensive messages to the girl, feeling confident in his impunity.

The editorial team of Vaib.uz joins the project «Nemolchi.uz» in urging the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Prosecutor’s Office of Uzbekistan to take control of this case, investigate the reasons why the victim’s statements and complaints are being ignored, while the rapist openly claims his impunity.

The text has been translated by AI. For more accurate information, please refer to the Russian version of the article.