Practically two years in the past, police in Kyrgyzstan raided the places of work of a media group famed for its investigations into political corruption, slapping narcotics prices on its chief.
As pictures of Temirov Dwell founder Bolot Temirov being manhandled by officers in SWAT gear had been shared on-line on January 22, 2022, many predicted the beginning of an prolonged crackdown on unbiased media by the administration of President Sadyr Japarov.
That crackdown reached an alarming crescendo this week as practically a dozen present and former workers of Temirov Dwell had been arrested on suspicion of making an attempt to foment unrest within the nation, whereas one of many nation’s hottest information web sites, 24.kg, was focused in a separate raid.
For thus lengthy Central Asia’s standout nation for unbiased journalism, intrepid reporting, and media innovation, Kyrgyzstan fell totally 50 locations in world media monitor Reporter With out Borders’s most up-to-date world rating, sitting at 122nd place — solely 12 spots above its longtime authoritarian neighbor, Kazakhstan.
That plunge was largely as a result of authorities’ choice to place extreme restrictions on RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service — together with freezing its financial institution accounts — in October 2022.
Native entry to the web site of Azattyk, because the service is thought in Kyrgyzstan, was restored earlier this yr, just for one other well-respected outlet, Kloop, to return face-to-face with an identical block and potential liquidation.
And now, looming on the horizon, is the menace posed by a brand new regulation that consultants say may spell the tip of unbiased media in its present format.
However first to the darkest week for the career in additional than three many years of Kyrgyz independence.
’Deceptive Society’
Whereas Temirov was born in Kyrgyzstan and had spent most of his working life there, he not lives within the nation.
His arrest got here proper after Temirov Dwell launched an investigation into alleged corruption within the gas enterprise, which featured a relative of State Nationwide Safety Committee (UKMK) Chairman Kamchybek Tashiev.
The narcotics prices pressed by authorities in 2022 induced a public outcry, and he was subsequently acquitted by a courtroom. However in November of that yr, one other Bishkek courtroom discovered him responsible of forging his Kyrgyz passport, and Temirov was bizarrely deported to Russia, the place he additionally held citizenship.
WATCH: RFE/RL correspondents captured the second the Bishkek places of work of stories web site 24.kg had been sealed off and pc tools confiscated.
He’s since understood to have left Russia however stays unable to return to his homeland.
But even after his deportation, the outlet has continued its investigations and political discussions, incomes tens of millions of views throughout three YouTube channels that broadcast in Russian and Kyrgyz.
Kyrgyz authorities not often come throughout positively in that content material.
One investigation launched in December focused Inside Minister Ulan Niyazbekov, highlighting properties owned by the minister and his kin and Niyazbekov’s obvious ties to organized crime. It additionally featured detailed testimony from a businessman who mentioned Niyazbekov had extorted him.
Two months earlier than that investigation, the group indicated {that a} charity led by Japarov’s spouse acquired funding from overseas sources, at the same time as authorities promote a Russian-style draft regulation that will permit them to register organizations receiving financing from overseas or overseas nationals as ”overseas representatives.”
In an interview with RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service on December 14, Temirov mentioned that police had been watching his group ”day and night time” because the investigation’s launch.
The topic for the fees on which 11 present and former Temirov Dwell workers have been arrested is a video revealed on YouTube final yr by Ait, Ait Dese (Come On, Say It), a Temirov Dwell spinoff venture.
Based on the Inside Ministry, linguistic consultants discovered proof of requires mass unrest within the broadcast. The ministry has but to offer a extra detailed rationalization.
A courtroom dominated on January 17 to maintain the detainees locked up for 2 months pending investigation of the fees.
Amongst them is Temirov’s spouse, Makhabat Tajibek-kyzy, presenter Aike Beishekeeva, and three former Temirov Dwell journalists now working for different media retailers.
Talking in regards to the arrests for the primary time this week in feedback revealed by the state data company Kabar on January 19, Japarov claimed his authorities supported freedom of speech and welcomed ”good high quality” media investigations.
”However most often, bloggers are busy distorting information, making mountains out of molehills, or resorting to manipulation and deceptive society,” Japarov mentioned.
Japarov additionally listed a number of media organizations that had acquired grants from organizations such because the U.S.-based Nationwide Endowment for Democracy, which he mentioned typically amounted to a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars}.
”We perceive these grants are allotted as a part of tasks on freedom of speech, assist for the media group, improvement of unbiased journalism, and so forth. However in actuality it seems that the funds should not used for his or her supposed objective. A coverage is being pursued to discredit the authorities, denigrate public coverage, agitate society, [make] anticonstitutional statements, and disseminate pretend data that poses a menace to nationwide safety,” the president claimed.
Indignant Reactions
Temirov has mentioned that the actual motive for the arrests of his colleagues is their investigations of high officers.
There are likewise suspicions that the prison case being constructed in opposition to 24.kg is merely a pretext to drive it to tone down its reporting.
The company’s basic director, Asel Otorbaeva, and editors in chief Anton Lymar and Mahinur Niyazova had been all taken away for interrogation after their workplace was raided on January 15, the day earlier than the raids on former and present Temirov Dwell workers.
The three 24.kg journalists had been launched that night.
The web site is formally being investigated by the UKMK for ”conflict propaganda” in relation to an unnamed article overlaying the Russia-Ukraine battle.
24.kg’s management has known as the accusation baseless.
The web site has been blocked by Russia’s Roskomnadzor media regulator since September of final yr.
24.kg doesn’t do investigations of the Temirov Dwell kind.
However it’s identified for its typically spiky headlines resembling: All people Is Equal Underneath The Regulation. However The President’s Family members Are Extra Equal. And for casting doubt on the statements of officers and lawmakers.
Niyazova’s sarcastic and government-critical posts on X, previously Twitter, have turned her into one thing of a hate determine for pro-government trolls, in the meantime.
In a January 16 assertion, the Committee to Shield Journalists (CPJ) raised alarm that Kyrgyz authorities had been ”renewing their assault on key unbiased media” by the raids and arrests.
The watchdog’s Eurasia chief, Gulnoza Stated, known as the authorities’ confiscation of kit from the places of work of 24.kg and Temirov Dwell ”deeply regarding,” noting that confidential sources may very well be in danger.
Diplomatic ”statements of concern” adopted from the embassies of america, the UK, and the European Union’s delegation within the nation.
Sadly, it seems that there shall be loads of fodder for such statements within the coming interval.
At current, there are few vital media retailers with out issues.
Kloop, which has investigated unlawful enrichment schemes involving a few of Kyrgyzstan’s highly effective folks previously, at the moment faces a authorized battle to stop the liquidation of its mother or father group, Kloop Media.
Two different unbiased retailers, Kaktus and Politklinika, had been as of final yr tied up in civil instances initiated by pro-government and government-owned media.
However the largest blow of all is likely to be struck by the nation’s parliament, the pro-regime Jogorku Kenesh, the place solely a handful of lawmakers spoke out in opposition to the authorities’ actions in opposition to Temirov Dwell and 24.kg.
That’s as a result of the legislature is because of think about a media regulation that sector consultants have warned may do untold injury to Kyrgyz journalism.
In one more condemnation of the crackdown, seven worldwide human rights teams — amongst them Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee — known as the draft regulation ”repressive” and urged the parliament to not go it in its present type.
”The draft regulation would considerably broaden authorities management over the media and grant the authorities large powers to disclaim media retailers registration, impede their work, and shut them down,” the rights teams mentioned on January 16.