A court in Uzbekistan's eastern region of Ferghana has ordered local blogger Olimjon Haidarov to pay a hefty fine for his online reporting of the country's energy cuts and shortages.
Uzbekistan's Supreme Court press service said that the December 13 ruling meant that Haidarov must pay 21 million soms ($1,863) as a fine after being found guilty of spreading "false information" and violating regulations on holding public gatherings.
Haidarov is one of many bloggers in Uzbekistan who have been raising the issue of electricity and natural gas shortages in the Ferghana region in recent weeks.
He also reported on a recent protest by workers at an industrial facility in the region who demanded that the government solve the natural gas deficiency, which affected operations in several factories across the Ferghana region.
Last week, seven workers who participated in the rally covered by Haidarov were sentenced to jail terms of between five days and 10 days on a charge of violating regulations on holding public gatherings.
With the winter season under way, Uzbekistan has faced an energy crisis caused by the natural gas shortage. Many car owners in the country have switched to diesel, while in remote regions people have been left without electricity and heating amid falling temperatures.
In some regions, people have rallied to bring attention to the issue, while many industrial facilities that use natural gas have suspended their operations.
The volume of natural gas produced by Uzbekistan, and Central Asia's other leading economy, Kazakhstan, is barely enough for domestic consumption, with shortages especially acute in winter.