Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a crackdown on investigative journalism in Kyrgyzstan, where 11 reporters who specialize in covering corruption and who have all worked for Temirov Live investigative YouTube channel were arrested on questionable grounds on January 16. They must be released at once, RSF says in a statement.
The arrests began early this morning at the home of Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, director of Temirov Live and the wife of investigative journalist Bolot Temirov. Within a few hours, the police had arrested a total of 11 journalists who were working or had worked on journalistic investigations linked to corruption involving Kyrgyz elites.
Shortly after the raids began, the interior ministry issued a statement announcing that, as a result of «forensic linguistic examination» of content found on the social media pages of Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese on December 30, criminal proceedings had been initiated against them under article 278, part 3 of the Criminal Code for «calling for riots.»
«This wave of arrests on the basis of a dubious charge amounts to a purge of local investigative journalism. The 11 arrested journalists have one thing in common. They all worked for the Temirov Live channel. Investigating corruption is not a crime and police should not be used as a tool of intimidation. We denounce this witch-hunt against journalists and call on the Kyrgyz authorities to release them at once,» Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said.
Bolot Temirov said the arrests could be linked to a widely covered investigation demonstrating interior minister Ulan Niyazbekov’s links to Kamchi Kolbayev, a local crime boss who was gunned down by the security forces on October 4.
Employees of the State Committee for National Security also came to the office of 24.kg news agency on January 16 at about 11 a.m. General Director Asel Otorbaeva, Editors-in-Chief Anton Lymar and Makhinur Niyazova were taken for interrogation.
Equipment and personal mobile phones of employees were confiscated.
The SCNS said that the search at 24.kg news agency was conducted as part of a criminal case under the article «Propaganda of War» of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic.
