The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls for the reversal of an October 27 court decision in Kyrgyzstan declaring the publications of investigative outlets Temirov Live and Kloop «extremist.» The same decision has designated the activity of Temirov Live founder Bolot Temirov, and Kloop founder Rinat Tuhvatshin, as «extremist.»
«Kyrgyzstan’s designation of international award-winning investigative outlets Kloop and Temirov Live, and their founders Bolot Temirov and Rinat Tuhvatshin, as ‘extremist’ is a shocking and desperate attempt to stifle anticorruption reporting into the top echelons of Kyrgyzstan’s government,» said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. «This unprecedented decision shows how far Kyrgyzstan has fallen from its former status as a press freedom haven.»
The ruling bans the outlets, as well as Temirov Live’s sister project Ait Ait Dese, from publishing online and prohibits the distribution of their work.
Rinat Tuhvatshin told CPJ that this is the first time Kyrgyzstan has declared news outlets «extremist» and it is unclear how the authorities will apply the law, but that sharing and liking the outlets’ publications may now be considered support for extremist organizations and the distribution of extremist content.
On October 27, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Bishkek granted a motion by the prosecutor’s office and declared the information materials of online media outlets Temirov Live, Kloop Media, and Ait Ait Dese as extremist.
