The UK Embassy in Kyrgyzstan commented on the decision of the Bishkek City Court to deport journalist Bolot Temirov. The statement was posted on Twitter.
The diplomatic mission said that journalism might sometimes be uncomfortable, but media freedom must be protected and journalists should be able to carry out their duties without fear of reprisal.
The Sverdlovsky District Court acquitted Bolot Temirov of drug possession, recognizing the evidence of guilt as not obvious and the investigation of the case biased, and did not find corpus delicti in his actions in the case of illegal border crossing, since the journalist used a real, not fake passport.
The journalist was found guilty on two counts — on using false data when obtaining a passport. He was charged with illegal use of a military ID to obtain an ID card (internal passport of a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic) and illegal obtaining of the identity card. However, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, the court did not impose penalties on him. Bolot Temirov was released from the courtroom.
