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The man who stole the president's secrets

Journalist Bobomurod Abdulla risked everything when he started leaking secret information about Uzbekistan's former leader Islam Karimov.

For many years, Uzbekistan was a particularly dangerous place to be a journalist. Speaking out against the government of former president Islam Karimov could lead to torture and a lengthy spell in prison. So it was a surprise for many when in 2004 secret messages started appearing online, containing what seemed like detailed and scandalous information about the president's household. For years, the identity of the writer was kept a secret, and the messages kept coming. Then one day, an inconspicuous football writer called Bobomurod Abdulla was snatched off the streets by the security forces, and the secret was finally out.

Image and credit: Bobomurod Abdulla

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27 minutes

Last on

Sun 23 Jun 2019 09:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 22 Jun 2019 22:32GMT
  • Sun 23 Jun 2019 09:32GMT

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