Supreme Court: No medical error in blogger Farhod Mannopov's surgery (video)

Earlier, the Criminal Panel of the Tashkent City Court of Appeals acquitted the ENT doctor (otolaryngologist A.Kh. of the private Star Med Centr clinic) who had operated on the late blogger Farhod Mannopov. The Supreme Court has now issued an official statement on the matter.

As is known, according to the verdict of the Uchtepa District Criminal Court dated November 29, 2024, A.Kh. was found not guilty of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 117 (endangerment) of the Criminal Code. However, he was found guilty under Part 3 of Article 116 (failure to perform professional duties) and sentenced to five years of restricted liberty, along with a two-year ban on working as an otolaryngologist in the medical field.

It is reported that, following a complaint filed by A.Kh. and his defense lawyers, the appellate court determined that the evidence collected in the case did not correspond to the actual circumstances outlined in the verdict. Moreover, there was no reliable or objective evidence to convict A.Kh.

“In particular, although Part 3 of Article 116 of the Criminal Code provides for criminal liability for negligence or dishonesty in the performance of professional duties that result in death, it was not established that A.Kh. failed to perform or improperly performed his duties, or that his actions or inaction led to the death of blogger Farhod Mannopov,” the Supreme Court statement read.

It emphasized that the medical examination and diagnostic procedures conducted in the private clinic were carried out according to existing medical standards.

The expert opinions submitted in this criminal case—including those by highly qualified otolaryngologists—confirmed that patient Farhod Mannopov did not suffer from brain trauma, concussions, brain contusions, or intracranial hematomas. Thus, the experts concluded that his death could not have been caused by the rhinoplasty surgery he underwent. All diagnostic and treatment procedures were performed correctly.

“In addition, two service inspections conducted by the Ministry of Health found no errors on the part of A.Kh. during the patient’s treatment and nose surgery that could have led to his death,” the statement added.

Although the findings of these service inspections were confirmed and justified by the experts during questioning in the investigation, they were unjustifiably ignored by the investigating authorities and the first-instance court.

Consequently, the appellate verdict of the Tashkent City Court for Criminal Cases annulled the earlier decision of the Uchtepa District Criminal Court. A.Kh. was declared not guilty and acquitted under Article 83 of the Criminal Procedure Code (grounds for rehabilitation) due to the absence of elements of a crime in his actions under Part 2 of Article 117 and his involvement under Part 3 of Article 116 of the Criminal Code.

“It is hereby notified that any party dissatisfied with this verdict has the right to file a complaint or protest with the Tashkent City Court under the review procedure by Article 510 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (court verdicts and rulings subject to review),” the statement concluded.

Mannopov case

On March 5, 2023, blogger Farhod Mannopov, known by the pseudonym "Mittivine", died at the age of 27. A few days earlier, he had sustained head and nose injuries while swimming in a pool with friends. As a result, he sought treatment at the private clinic "Star Med Center" in the Chilonzor district of Tashkent to undergo nasal surgery.

At the time, the Prosecutor General's Office announced that a criminal case had been initiated under Article 116, Part 4, Subparagraph "a" of the Criminal Code (Failure to perform professional duties). This decision was made due to the need to carry out extensive interrogations, order complex expert examinations, and conduct other investigative actions that required a prolonged period before reaching a legal conclusion.

The investigation conducted by the Ministry of Health revealed that the anesthesiologist-resuscitator, plastic surgeon, and laboratory assistant involved in Mannopov's surgery lacked the necessary qualification categories and professional certificates.

On May 15, 2023, the economic trial began at the Zangiota Interdistrict Economic Court based on a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Health to revoke the clinic’s license following Mannopov’s death.

In the aftermath, several artists were found to have promoted the clinic on social media. Responding to public concern, the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office reported that the Ministry of Health had officially requested the court to revoke the medical license of Star Med Center, which operates under Omad Plus LLC.

On June 2, 2023, the Zangiota Interdistrict Economic Court ruled in favor of the Ministry's request and ordered the cancellation of license No. 27390032 issued to Omad Plus LLC for conducting medical activities.

However, the Star Med clinic disagreed with the ruling and filed an appeal. On July 13, 2023, the case was reviewed in an open session of the Tashkent Regional Court’s Economic Affairs Panel, which ultimately ruled in favor of the defendant and reinstated the clinic’s license.

On November 29, 2024, the Uchtepa District Court for Criminal Cases held the first-instance trial of A.Kh. (an otolaryngologist at Star Med Center) and J.Q. (an anesthesiologist-resuscitator at the same clinic). Following an open trial, the court found both individuals guilty under Part 3 of Article 116 of the Criminal Code (Improper performance of professional duties).

According to the verdict, A.Kh. and J.Q. were each sentenced to five years of restriction of liberty and banned from working in their respective medical specialties—otolaryngology and anesthesiology-resuscitation—for two years, by Article 45 of the Criminal Code (Deprivation of a specific right).

Additionally, under Article 62 of the Criminal Code (Rules for calculating time spent in detention, imprisonment, or house arrest), it was determined that J.Q.’s sentence would amount to three years, six months, and 27 days of restricted liberty, with a two-year ban on medical practice in their field.