Kyrgyz journalists jailed as crackdown on freedom of expression intensifies

In October 2024, a court in Bishkek convicted two investigative journalists from the Kyrgyz investigative group Temirov Live and its sister project Ait Ait Dese on charges of “creating an organised criminal group” and “calling for mass riots” under Article 278 of Kyrgyzstan’s criminal code[1]. Makhabat Tajibek-kyzy, the head of Temirov Live, was sentenced to six years in prison, and presenter Azamat Ishenbekov to five years. Two other journalists from the organisation, Aktilek Kaparov and Aike Beishekeeva were sentenced to three years of probation on the same charges. Beishekeeva was recently awarded the Gratias Tibi award from the Prague-based People in Need rights organisation[2]. The award is given annually to people under 30 for their contributions to defending human rights.

Seven other journalists in the same case- Maksat Tajibek-uulu, Akyl Orozbekov, Jumabek Turdaliev, Joodar Buzumov, Saparbek Akunbekov, Saipidin Sultanaliev, and Tynystan Asypbekov- were acquitted.

The high-profile case happened against a backdrop of worsening human rights freedoms in Kyrgyzstan, once considered the most vibrant in Central Asia.

The Kyrgyz 11

The 11 current and former employees of Temirov Live were arrested in January 2024, after raids in the early morning on the homes of Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese director Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, Temirov Live reporter Aike Beishekeyeva, camera operator Akyl Orozbekov, Ait Ait Dese journalist Sapar Akunbekov, and Azamat Ishenbekov, a folk singer who works with Ait Ait Dese.

They also searched the homes of six former Temirov Live staff: Aktilek Kaparov, Tynystan Asypbekov, Joodar Buzumov, Saipidin Sultanaliev, Maksat Tajibek uulu, and Jumabek Turdaliev. According to reports, a search was then conducted of the Temirov Live office, equipment was confiscated, and the office was sealed.[3]

‘Retaliatory’ prosecution

International media organisation Committee to Protect Journalists have called the cases of the ‘Kyrgyz 11’ ‘contrived’ and ‘retaliatory’[4].

Media Policy Institute, a media defence organisation in the country stated that “the criminal prosecution and conviction of two journalists, including real prison sentences for a female journalist who did not call for violence and has a young child in her care, and the imposition of probation on two other journalists who were practicing their profession, is a devastating blow to free journalists and independent media. These actions undermine the foundations of freedom of expression and set a dangerous precedent, threatening journalists’ rights and the democratic process as a whole”.

Temirov Live

Temirov Live is a YouTube-based media outlet that investigates and reports on corruption of state and non-state actors in Kyrgyzstan. Ait Ait Dese is a sister project of Temirov Live, which explores political and social issues through music and poetry in Kyrgyz. Temirov Live was founded in 2020 by Bolot Temirov and broke several high-level stories including an expose on Kyrgyzstan’s oil refinery industry and how it had been seized by Kamchybek Tashiev, a close ally of President Japarov with the President’s assistance[6]. Shortly after the release of the investigation, Temirov was arrested during a police raid of his office on charges of drug possession. Temirov, who at the time was also a Russian citizen, was subsequently accused of falsifying documents to receive his Kyrgyz passport. He was stripped of Kyrgyzstani citizenship and deported to Russia in 2022[7]. His wife, Makhabat Tajibek-kyzy, then took over the media outlet.

Increasing legal pressures

President Japarov has shown increasingly authoritarian tendencies with clampdowns on freedom of expression and independent journalism through new rafts of legislation. In July 2023, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Kyrgyzstan. The resolution urged the Kyrgyz authorities to review and withdraw several laws that are inconsistent with the country’s international commitments. Of particular concern were the law on “false information” as well as the draft laws on “foreign representatives,” “mass media,” and “protecting children from harmful information,” or the so-called “LGBTI propaganda law.”[8]  The Foreign Representatives Law, adopted in April 2024, is the most recent step in sustained and coordinated efforts from the government to restrict civil society and freedom of expression. The Foreign Representative Law closely mirrors laws in Russia, including requirements for NGOs designated under the law to label publications as produced or distributed by a foreign representative, an annual submission of an independent audit report and granting the Ministry of Justice the right to conduct inspections of organisations and suspend operations at its own.

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Read more about press freedom in Kyrgyzstan here.

[1] https://mvd.gov.kg/rus/ministry/normative-bases/22

[2] https://www.gratiastibi.cz/cs/laureati-2024

[3] https://rus.azattyk.org/a/32776063.html

[4] https://cpj.org/2024/09/kyrgyzstan-prosecutors-seek-6-year-prison-terms-for-11-investigative-journalists/

[5] https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-conviction-of-journalists-at-anti-corruption-outlet-is-turning-point-for-press-freedom

[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNNuPazBJ2k

[7] https://www.occrp.org/en/news/court-orders-kyrgyz-investigative-journalist-bolot-temirov-deported

[8] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230707IPR02436/human-rights-breaches-in-venezuela-kyrgyzstan-and-india