Journalist Leyla Saralaeva commented on the statements made by President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov in an interview with Kabar news agency.
Recall, the head of state rejected the journalist’s claim that in 2005 he worked at Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s headquarters.
According to him, he worked at the headquarters of Felix Kulov at the time, and after Kulov and Bakiyev signed a tandem agreement, the headquarters was disbanded «and we all went our separate ways.» Japarov also stated that he was not familiar with the journalist, calling her a «self-proclaimed journalist» and doubting her professionalism.
In response, Leyla Saralaeva stated that she has been working in journalism for over 30 years and has covered the activities of all the country’s key politicians, interviewing many of them. She believes the president’s claim of not knowing her name reflects his lack of awareness of the country’s media landscape.
She also emphasized that in 2005, after the signing of the tandem agreement between the politicians, the headquarters actually united. Therefore, Japarov’s participation in Kulov’s headquarters automatically meant support for Bakiyev’s campaign.
She also expressed the opinion that public insults against a female journalist by the head of state are unacceptable and undermine respect for the institution of the presidency.
