CPJ is honored to present its 2025 International Press Freedom Award to Kyrgyz journalist Bolot Temirov.
Kyrgyzstan’s seasoned investigative reporter, Bolot Temirov, runs Central Asia’s most prominent anti-corruption outlet, Temirov Live, from exile amid threats to his safety. From Europe, his YouTube-based outlet continues to publish investigations of top state officials, including the president, making his team a top target for authorities amid an unprecedented press freedom crackdown.
Temirov was beaten in 2020, shortly after the outlet that he led at the time, Factcheck.kg, published a joint investigation with Bellingcat journalists into vast corruption by a shadowy Kyrgyz official. Their exposé fuelled anger over evidence of electoral fraud, leading to protests that swept the government from power in October 2020.
During a 2022 raid on Temirov Live’s offices, police are widely believed to have planted drugs on Temirov. Despite being acquitted of the charges, after an astonishing Temirov Live investigation exposed the police’s actions, he was expelled from the country.
In January 2024, 11 current and former Temirov Live staff were arrested, a shocking step in a country previously seen as a haven for democracy in the region. Among them is Temirov’s wife, Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, the director of Temirov Live, who is serving a six-year sentence on charges of calling for mass unrest.