Ten international human rights organizations issued a statement in connection with the detention of the staff of Kloop media outlet. They express concern about the pressure on the media in Kyrgyzstan.
Human Rights Watch, IPHR and Freedom For Eurasia are also among the authors of the statement. They appealed to the country’s authorities to release detainees Alexander Alexandrov and Zhomart Duulatov and drop all charges against them.
The appeal also contains a demand to conduct an independent investigation of violations during the detentions and to stop the persecution of independent journalists.
The European Union and other partners of the Kyrgyz Republic are called to respond resolutely to this renewed crackdown.
Recall, the house of Kloop journalist in Osh Ziyagul Bolot kyzy was searched, after which she was taken for questioning. Later it was reported that the camera operator of Kloop in Bishkek, Alexander Alexandrov, was also taken for questioning to the SCNS. After the searches, the current journalist Aidai Erkebaeva and former employee of the media outlet Zara Sydygalieva, who resigned back in 2023, were taken for questioning. In total, seven people have been interrogated.
On May 30, the accountant of the media outlet was detained. She was stopped on the street in the capital near one of the banks and taken to the SCNS.
Ziyagul Bolot kyzy, Aidai Erkebaeva, Zara Sadygaliyeva and two other girls, who were brought for questioning together with current and former journalists of Kloop, were released on a non-disclosure pledge.
In 2023, the prosecutor’s office filed a lawsuit to shut down Kloop Media Public Foundation. As a result of the trials, it was liquidated in 2024.