Uzbek authorities have extended the prison sentence of a jailed Uzbek politician who has already served 23 years behind bars.

Samandar Kukonov, 72, was expected to be released on October 6.

His relatives told RFE/RL on October 30 that they received a letter from the Directorate for Monitoring Sentences' Implementation saying that Kukonov's prison term had been prolonged by another three years and five days due to "violation of the penitentiary's internal regulations."

Kukonov was arrested in July 1993 and charged with embezzlement.

His supporters said that the case against him was politically motivated.

In 1994 he was sentenced to 20 years in jail. The time he spent in pretrial detention was not counted as served.

In 2014, Kukonov's prison term was extended by three more years and later cut by two years.