The Bishkek City Court has left Kloop camera operator Aleksandr Aleksandrov in custody. The decision was made by the criminal cases panel after reviewing the lawyers’ appeal.
It is not yet known whether the trial on another appeal — on the arrest of former cameraman Zhoomart Duulatov took place.
The State Committee for National Security detained them on May 28 on suspicion of «involvement in calls for mass unrest.» Their homes were searched and equipment was seized.
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.