Eshzhanov was prosecuted in the Case of 39 participants in the 2022 Karakalpakstan unrest, whose trial opened in Bukhara on 6 February 2023. The case concerns the July 2022 protests sparked by proposed constitutional amendments affecting the autonomy of Karakalpakstan. Authorities described the protests as riots and charged participants under criminal law. Many observers consider the prosecutions politically motivated because they target individuals involved in demonstrations against constitutional reforms. The verdict was delivered on 17 March 2023, and later partially revised by the Supreme Court on 12 June 2023.