Authorities rule out journalism in Saipov case

In response to Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Dmitry Fedorov’s announcement today about the progress of the official Kyrgyz investigation into the October 2007 murder of ethnic Uzbek journalist Alisher Saipov, we released the following statement…

“We are concerned that Kyrgyz authorities have ruled out journalism as a motive for Alisher Saipov’s murder,” CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. “The investigation into this crime has made little progress and seems to be hampered by a lack of political will. Saipov was a brave journalist and critic of the human rights abuses of Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s regime. The Kyrgyz authorities must publicly disclose the reasons for their action.”