Kyrgyzstan: Drop charges against 11 journalists and human rights defenders

As proceedings against 11 independent journalists and human rights defenders (HRDs) in Kyrgyzstan near conclusion, Amnesty International, Araminta, ARTICLE 19, Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, Civil Rights Defenders, Freedom for Eurasia, Freedom Now, Front Line Defenders, International Partnership for Human Rights, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and People in Need call on the authorities to drop the charges and end the ongoing crackdown on free speech. The criminal charges against the journalists and HRDs are a textbook example of retaliation against investigative journalism and reporting on high-level corruption, the human rights groups said.

In mid-January 2024, law enforcement in Kyrgyzstan detained the 11 journalists and HRDs during a series of late-night raids, alleging that their critical reporting incited civil disobedience and mass unrest. The targeted individuals are Sapar Akunbekov, Tynystan Asypbekov, Aike Beishekeyeva, Joodar Buzumov, Azamat Ishenbekov, Aktilek Kaparov, Akyl Orozbekov, Saypidin Sultanaliev, Makhabat Tazhikbek Kyzy, Maksat Tazhibek Uulu and Jumabek Turdaliev. They have all been charged under Article 278.3 of the Criminal Code, which penalises “calls for active disobedience to the legal demands of government officials, incitement to mass riots, and violence against citizens” with up to eight years imprisonment. This broadly worded provision has been increasingly misused to target government critics. Since their arrest in January 2024, six of the journalists and HRDs have been released into house arrest and one under a travel ban, while four – Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy, Aktilek Kaparov, Aike Beishekeyeva and Azamat Ishenbekov – remain in pretrial detention.

All of the 11 journalists and HRDs are current or former employees of the investigative YouTube Channel Temirov Live. They were prosecuted in relation to  video reports published by  Temirov Live and its affiliated channel “Ait Ait Dese,” which implicated high-level government officials in large-scale corruption. Journalist and HRD  Bolot Temirov, founder of both media outlets, has lived in exile since November 2022, when authorities de-facto stripped him of his Kyrgyzstani citizenship on trumped-up charges and expelled him from the country.

On 26 September 2024 state prosecutors requested a six-year’ prison sentence for all the defendants. After a delay in proceedings, a verdict is expected to be pronounced in the Leninsky District Court in Bishkek on 10 October 2024. Throughout the trial, the state investigators and the prosecution have not presented any credible evidence of calls for mass unrest, riots, violence, or “disobedience.” Instead, the prosecution has argued that the journalists’ and HRDs’ reporting on corruption discredited the authorities, which could potentially lead to riots and civil unrest.

In April 2024, one of the defendants, Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy was physically assaulted in Pre-Trial Detention Center #1 in Bishkek, suffering bruises on her arms, face, and the left side of her jaw. However, in June 2024 prosecutors refused to open a criminal case into the alleged ill-treatment, claiming she had fabricated her injuries.

In July 2024, Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy, Azamat Ishembekov, Aktylek Kaparov, and Ayke Beyshekeeva attended the court hearing wearing t-shirts that read “Ak iilet, birok synbait,” which translates from Kyrgyz as “the truth bends, but does not break.” The following day prison authorities raided the journalists’ cells and confiscated these t-shirts in yet another act of silencing.

By targeting the 11 journalists and HRDs for publishing their independent investigative work, the authorities have already undermined free speech and media freedoms in Kyrgyzstan. Their conviction and imprisonment would deal a new, severe blow to these fundamental freedoms. This move will further entrench self-censorship and heighten fears of prosecution among journalists, HRDs and civil society. Kyrgyzstan is wrongfully prosecuting some of the country’s most respected journalists and HRDs, whose only ‘crime’ is their persistent independent investigations into high-level corruption. The undersigned human rights organisations urge the authorities to drop the bogus charges against all the defendants in the case, release them, and ensure that all journalists and HRDs in Kyrgyzstan can carry out their activities without fear of reprisals, in line with Kyrgyzstan’s constitution and its international human rights obligations.

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For more information on recent trends affecting freedom of speech and other fundamental freedoms in Kyrgyzstan, see briefing paper issued by AHRCA and partners.

Crackdown on civic freedoms in Central Asia: NGOs highlight alarming trends

Civic space is becoming increasingly restricted in Central Asia, and civil society representatives are facing unprecedented challenges across the region. International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and its regional partners call on the international community to use all available platforms to address these alarming trends and advocate for meaningful reforms that reverse repressive policies and safeguard civic freedoms. As international engagement in Central Asia grows, stakeholders should prioritise supporting the region’s embattled civil society, recognising its vital role in advancing democratic governance, human rights, the rule of law, justice, and public well-being.

A new briefing paper, jointly published by IPHR, Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights, and the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, outlines pressing issues regarding restrictions on the freedoms of expression, association, and assembly in the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). The paper is released in connection with the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, which gathers OSCE participating States, institutions, civil society, and other important stakeholders from 30 September to 11 October 2024, to discuss human rights in the OSCE region.

The briefing paper covers the following key issues:

Excessive and unjustified restrictions on civil society organizations (CSOs): The recent enactment of a foreign agent-style NGO law in Kyrgyzstan has raised particular alarm. The so-called 'law on foreign representatives' imposes stigmatising registration requirements and intrusive state oversight on foreign-funded NGOs engaged in 'political' activities - a term so broadly defined that it could encompass core CSO operations. Non-compliance may lead to severe consequences, including the suspension or liquidation of NGOs. The law has created widespread anxiety among CSOs, causing some to self-liquidate and others to restrict their activities to avoid repercussions. It also sets a troubling precedent for other Central Asian countries, where CSOs receiving foreign funding already face enhanced government scrutiny and widespread suspicion. The recent move in Kazakhstan to publicly list foreign-funded CSOs has reinforced these concerns.

At the same time, significant obstacles to CSO operations persist in the region. In Tajikistan, several hundred CSOs have been forcibly closed or pressured to shut down since 2022, leading to a sharp decline in the civil society sector. In Uzbekistan, human rights groups continue to struggle to obtain compulsory state registration, while in Turkmenistan, no human rights monitoring or advocacy groups are registered or able to operate openly.

Pressure on independent media and restrictions on access to information: The media climate in Kyrgyzstan, once relatively free, has deteriorated significantly due to government raids, arrests of journalists, forced media closure initiatives, and blocking of news sites. In Kazakhstan, independent media and journalists face regular harassment, and a new media law adopted in summer 2024 raises concerns about increased pressure, particularly on foreign outlets. Tajikistan's media crackdown has intensified, as authorities heavily interfere with media operations and currently imprison more journalists than in any other country in the region. Turkmenistan maintains strict censorship, limiting internet access and persecuting those who challenge the official narrative. In Uzbekistan, despite official rhetoric supporting free speech, independent information platforms, journalists and bloggers are increasingly targeted by retaliatory actions, and draft legislation under consideration risks resulting in new restrictions on media content and operations.

Across the region, authorities use concerns about disinformation, extremism and so-called traditional values as pretexts to stifle critical speech and restrict access to information.

Restrictions on the freedom of assembly and lack of accountability for serious human rights violations: In 2022, authorities used harsh measures to suppress mass protests during the ‘Bloody January’ events in Kazakhstan, in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in Tajikistan, and in the Republic of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan. Serious human rights violations, including excessive force, torture, and other abuses related to these events, have largely gone unpunished as authorities have failed to adequately investigate these allegations and hold perpetrators accountable.

Meanwhile, the right to peaceful assembly continues to be violated across the region. In Kyrgyzstan, a prolonged court-sanctioned ban on protests remains in place in central Bishkek, while in Kazakhstan, authorities routinely deny permission for peaceful protests and arbitrarily detain and penalise protesters before, during, and after assemblies. In Turkmenistan, authorities suppress spontaneous protests while forcibly mobilising citizens for state-organised events, threatening them with reprisals if they do not participate.

Persecution of critical voices: Throughout Central Asia, civil society activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and bloggers who criticise government policies, speak out against human rights violations, and advocate for accountability face severe persecution. They are subjected to surveillance, threats, and attacks, and are arrested, prosecuted in trials which do not meet international fair trial standards, and imprisoned in retaliation for exercising their freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. Those prosecuted often face charges initiated under broadly worded Criminal Code provisions used to suppress free speech, such as those related to disseminating ‘false’ or slanderous information, inciting hatred, or alleged extremism. Others are charged with fabricated offenses like extortion or fraud.

There are significant concerns about individuals serving politically-motivated prison sentences under harsh conditions.

Repression also extends beyond borders, with critical voices abroad increasingly targeted through transnational measures. Additionally, intimidation and harassment frequently extend to family members, creating a pervasive climate of fear and silencing dissent in the region.

The briefing paper is based on ongoing cooperation between IPHR and its Central Asian partners on monitoring and documenting civic space developments in the framework of the CIVICUS Monitor, an initiative that tracks and rates civic freedoms across the world. The CIVICUS Monitor currently classifies civic space as ‘repressed’ in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, with scores of 40 and 27, respectively (on a scale from 0 to 100 where 0 is the worst and 100 the best). Meanwhile, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are rated as ‘closed’, scoring 18, 12, and 8, respectively. This means that all Central Asian countries now fall into one of the two worst categories.

The briefing paper can bedownloaded below.