Uzbek media reports say influential Uzbek criminal boss Salim Abduvaliyev, also known by the nicknames Salimboy and Salimboyvachcha was released from prison on January 12 due to health reasons.

Kun.uz, citing its sources, reported that Abduvaliyev had been battling an illness for a long time. 

He was convicted under Article 248 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code (illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, parts of firearms, explosives, explosive devices, or explosives) and sentenced to six years in prison by a ruling issued by a court in Tashkent’s Mirobod district on March 19, 2024. 

Abduvaliyev’s release was reportedly based on Article 75 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, which allows for the release of individuals suffering from serious health conditions that prevent them from serving their sentence. 

UZ DAILY reports that Salim Abduvaliyev (born 1950, pensioner, previously not convicted) had been serving as the deputy chairman of the National Olympic Committee and the head of the Wrestling Association on a voluntary basis since January 2017.  His name and photograph are reportedly still featured on the NOC website. 

For his contributions to the development of sports, he was awarded the Dustlik Order in 2015 and received the title of "Honored Sports Coach" in 2021.

It is worth noting that Salim Abduvaliyev was arrested in early December 2023 during a series of raids against organized crime on suspicion of illegal possession of firearms.

Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz Service reported on December 13, 2023 that Abduvaliyev is believed to have ties with top Uzbek officials and leaders of the so-called Brothers' Circle, a Eurasian drug-trafficking network that included late Kyrgyz kingpin Kamchybek Kolbayev (aka Kamchybek Asanbek), who was killed during a police operation in Bishkek in October 2023.