Smuggling schemes. Azattyk journalists summoned for interrogation

16:02, 02 декабря 2019, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Baktygul OSMONALIEVA

Two journalists from Azattyk radio will be interrogated as witnesses in a criminal case that was previously instituted under the Article «Attempted Murder» of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic.

It is known that representatives of the media Mukhammedali Toktakunov and Ydyrys Isakov were summoned for questioning by the State Committee for National Security.

Ali Toktakunov is not in Bishkek, he works in the head office of Azattyk in Prague. Ydyrys Isakov is currently on a business trip in Prague. He will be there until February 2020. The interrogation was scheduled for December 2. But journalists will not be able to attend it.

Azattyk said they were ready to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, and their journalists were ready to answer all questions via video communications, since they are currently abroad.

A journalistic investigation into smuggling and corruption at the Customs caused a massive public outcry. It says that unknown people repeatedly threatened a Chinese businessman Aierken Saimaiti with murder in Kyrgyzstan, so he was forced to flee to Turkey.

The Prosecutor General’s Office opened a criminal case and entrusted an interdepartmental investigation group with the investigation.

The former deputy head of the Customs Service Raiymbek Matraimov was questioned at the State Committee for National Security on November 29.