The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has voiced strong opposition to the recent sentencing of two Kyrgyz journalists, Joomart Duulatov and Aleksandr Aleksandrov, who face five-year imprisonment terms. Both journalists were associated with the anti-corruption investigative agency, Kloop, which has grown to prominence for its in-depth reporting on public sector malfeasance. Arrested on May 28, their charges relate to allegedly inciting riots through their work.
The allegations have been fervently contested. Evidence introduced against them primarily relied on a message from a video saying, “Freedom is not granted, freedom is sought.” However, it was the YouTube-based investigative collective, Temirov Live, that purportedly created the disputed content. Bolot Temirov, the founder of Temirov Live, asserts that all materials are solely his organization’s work. More details can be read here.
State-run media and rising government interference in independent journalism have marred Kyrgyzstan’s once-flourishing press freedoms. Notably, Kloop’s website was blocked in 2023, and in 2024 the Supreme Court dissolved the organization, compelling most of its journalists to continue reporting from exile.
In January 2024, authorities arrested 11 journalists tied to Temirov Live on identical charges, further intensifying a clampdown on dissenting voices. Bolot Temirov has been in exile since 2022, and within the same year, his wife, Makhabat Tajibek Kyzy, along with presenter Azamat Ishenbekov, received prison sentences ranging from five to six years.
The CPJ’s coordinator for Europe and Central Asia program, Gulnoza Said, highlighted Kyrgyzstan’s alarming slide away from journalistic freedom to an environment characterized by punitive measures against press workers. Citing the imprisonment of Duulatov, Aleksandrov, and Tajibek Kyzy, CPJ has demanded their release.
While Kyrgyzstan’s constitution ostensibly guarantees freedom of speech and press under article 32(2), the reality diverges starkly. Practically all media outlets are state-owned, and those few that remain independent increasingly endure arbitrary detentions and smear campaigns.
This broader trend marks a significant regression in press freedoms within the country, spotlighted by international watchdogs and echoed by investigative journalism groups. CPJ’s statements emphasize the urgent need for Kyrgyzstan to realign with democratic principles and release those imprisoned for endeavors to hold power accountable.