The Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek refused to satisfy all three complaints of the management of 24.kg news agency.
According to lawyer Nurbek Sydykov, the investigating judges considered the petitions on the legality of the order of non-disclosure of case materials, on preventing lawyers from entering the office during the search on January 15, and on the investigator’s decision to deny access to the office for the staff to carry out professional activities. Sessions on the last two issues were held behind closed doors.
The court refused to satisfy all three petitions. Nurbek Sydykov added that the decision can be appealed in Bishkek City Court within five days.
Employees of the State Committee for National Security 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. On January 17, the managers were summoned for questioning again.
Cell phones of the staff, office equipment and documents have still not been returned.
