(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 31 March 2007, Talanbek Sopuyev, a journalist for local television and radio company Sentyabr, was assaulted in Zhalalabat, a city in southern Kyrgyzstan, during a demonstration staged by the political movement For Political Stability and Unity and the political parties Zhany Kyrgyzstan and Eldik Birimdik, in support of the current president. […]
(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 31 March 2007, Talanbek Sopuyev, a journalist for local television and radio company Sentyabr, was assaulted in Zhalalabat, a city in southern Kyrgyzstan, during a demonstration staged by the political movement For Political Stability and Unity and the political parties Zhany Kyrgyzstan and Eldik Birimdik, in support of the current president.
The journalist was beaten up by about 40 demonstrators, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the way the television channel worked, rebroadcasting programmes from Radio Azattyk and sessions of the Zhugorku Kenesh – the lower chamber of parliament.
According to Sopuyev, as a result of the assault, he had to be taken to hospital with multiple injuries.
The Zhalalabat police department denied the fact that the journalist had been assaulted.
Two other journalists were assaulted in the past two weeks in Kyrgyzstan, apparently over their reporting; both incidents occurred in the capital city, Bishkek.
On 27 March, NTS TV channel news presenter Daniyar Isanov was beaten by a group of unidentified people in Bishkek. He was taken by the four men to a river on the outskirts of the city and left there unconscious, after being hit from behind and assaulted. He regained consciousness at 5:00 a.m. (local time) the following day and was taken to hospital by a passing taxi. As a result of the attack, the journalist suffered a fractured nose and multiple bruises (see IFEX alert of 28 March 2007).
On 19 March, Kairat Berimkulov, who works for the state television and radio company, was assaulted by unknown men outside his home in the countryside near Bishkek. The assailants beat him and fled, stealing his digital video camera, dictaphone and a folder of documents. The journalist was taken to hospital with serious head injuries (see alert of 22 March 2007; please note that in the previous alert his name was spelled “Birimkulov”).
