Kyrgyzstan / Europe & Central Asia

  

CPJ condemns Kyrgyzstan’s order to shut investigative outlet Kloop

Stockholm, February 12, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled by a Kyrgyzstan court decision on Friday to shutter Kloop Media, a nonprofit that runs the country’s leading investigative news website Kloop. “After last month’s mass arrest of journalists linked to anti-corruption outlet Temirov Live, the forced closure of Kloop—one of the most respected media…

Read More ›

In several hearings between February 1 and February 6, 2024, the Bishkek City Court rejected the appeals of 11 journalists, who are current and former employees of the anti-corruption investigative outlet Temirov Live, and upheld their pretrial detention. (Screenshot: YouTube/Radio Azattyk)

Kyrgyzstan upholds detention of 11 journalists; CPJ calls for release

Stockholm, February 6, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday condemned a Kyrgyzstan court’s decision to uphold the two-month pretrial detention of 11 journalists, who are current and former employees of the anti-corruption investigative outlet Temirov Live. “By confirming the arrests of 11 journalists—an unprecedented assault on press freedom in modern Kyrgyz history—authorities in Kyrgyzstan…

Read More ›

Makhabat Tajibek kyzy and 24.kg office

Kyrgyzstan authorities raid news outlets 24.kg and Temirov Live, arrest journalists

Stockholm, January 16, 2024 — Kyrgyz authorities should drop criminal investigations into privately owned news website 24.kg and investigative outlet Temirov Live, release all detained current and former members of Temirov Live, and end their crackdown on the independent press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, officers from Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for…

Read More ›

CPJ and partners send letter to UN rapporteurs over Kyrgyzstan deportation of investigative reporter Bolot Temirov

The Committee to Protect Journalists, together with the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and civil society organization Precedent Group, on December 14 submitted a letter to three United Nations special rapporteurs regarding the wrongful conviction and arbitrary deportation of Kyrgyz investigative journalist Bolot Temirov from his home country. In…

Read More ›

People take part in a rally calling for media freedom and the release of journalist Bolot Temirov, who was detained the night before, in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, on January 23, 2022.

CPJ calls on Kyrgyzstan parliament to reject Russian-style ‘foreign agents’ bill

Stockholm, October 25, 2023—Kyrgyzstan’s parliament should reject Russian-inspired legislation that would classify externally-funded media rights groups and nonprofits that run news outlets as “foreign representatives” and could force many nonprofits to close, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Wednesday, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament passed in a first reading a bill requiring nonprofits that receive foreign…

Read More ›

Kloop

Kyrgyz authorities threaten to block website of investigative outlet Kloop

Stockholm, September 8, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Kyrgyzstan authorities to abandon its latest threat to suspend independent investigative outlet Kloop if it does not remove a September 1 article containing allegedly false information. “Following their recent application to shutter the outlet and now their threat to block its website, Kyrgyz authorities’…

Read More ›

Cyberattackers used US company RayoByte in efforts to crash media sites

The cyberattack against the Somali Journalists Syndicate could not have come at a worse time. A distributed denial-of-service attack, known by its acronym DDoS, flooded the local press freedom group’s website with traffic in early August and knocked it offline. Days later, authorities arrested SJS staff member and Kaab TV editor Mohamed Ibrahim Osman Bulbul…

Read More ›

Kloop

Kyrgyz authorities apply to shutter investigative outlet Kloop

Stockholm, August 28, 2023—Kyrgyz authorities should withdraw their application to shutter Kloop Media, a non-profit foundation that runs the independent news and anti-corruption investigative website Kloop, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On August 22, the city prosecutor in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, applied to the courts to liquidate Kloop Media because the foundation’s charter…

Read More ›

CPJ calls on Kyrgyzstan authorities to allow RFE/RL’s Radio Azattyk to work freely after shutdown reversal

Stockholm, July 12, 2023— The Committee to Protect Journalists says it is relieved by Wednesday’s decision by a Kyrgyzstan appeals court to annul a lower court ruling ordering the closure of Radio Azattyk, the local service of U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “We are relieved by the reversal of Kyrgyz authorities’ decision to…

Read More ›

Kyrgyz journalist Dilbar Alimova questioned over coverage of authorities

Stockholm, May 11, 2023—Kyrgyz authorities should let the independent news website PolitKlinika work free from fear of legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On May 6, officers with Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security, or SCNS, summoned PolitKlinika founder and chief editor Dilbar Alimova for questioning about a May 5 article published…

Read More ›