Kyrgyzstan

The authorities in several Central Asian states have warned news outlets to tone down their coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or ignore it entirely.

The prosecutor general’s office has announced a criminal investigation into Kaktus.media after it republished an article, originally published by a Tajik news website, concerning a recent clash at the disputed border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

A number of IFEX members call on the Kyrgyzstan government to withdraw its draft legislation threatening to further undermine the independence of the Kyrgyz Broadcasting Corporation (OTRK), and to instead ensure the public broadcaster is governed by standards which ensure editorial independence, transparency, and accountability to the Kyrgyz people.

Anyone claiming that online content defames them is allowed to ask an “authorised administrative body” to order the content’s deletion without reference to a judge. Failure to delete the disputed information will see the entire web page or website blocked.

The law empowers an unnamed “authorized state body” to shut down or block websites containing information deemed to be “false” or “inaccurate,” without a court order, on the basis of a complaint by either a private person or legal entity, who are the subject of the information.

“Independent news is essential to the public during these chaotic and quickly moving events. Kyrgyz authorities should ensure journalists can work freely and safely; law enforcement must stop attacking the press and ensure that protesters don’t target journalists either.”

Abdullaev faces charges of “offences against the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan” and “conspiracy to overthrow the constitutional regime,” each punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Campaigning journalist and human rights advocate Azimjon Askarov was Kyrgyzstan’s most famous prisoner.

Askarov, 69, was serving a life sentence imposed after an unfair trial on politically motivated charges, for which he was arbitrarily arrested and tortured. He was in poor health and activists had been calling for his release due the threat of COVID-19.

Askarov, who was handed a life sentence after a dubious conviction in 2010, has a history of cardiac and respiratory problems. He is currently unable to walk on his own, has no appetite, has lost weight and has fevers. He is at extreme risk of contracting COVID-19.

In many countries, prisoners rely on their families for food and medicine while behind bars. But this year, as families have been barred from visiting their loved ones due to COVID-19, jailed Muslim journalists have to cope with fasting on even fewer resources than before.

While misinformation and disinformation are particularly harmful during this pandemic, the policy of censoring the opinions of social media users should instead be replaced by measures to ensure that media has access to information to provide comprehensive news to the public.

The crisis presents serious risks to Kyrgyzstan’s prisoners. Askarov, a journalist and human rights activist, has spent nearly 10 years in prison. Nothing justifies his detention and he should be released, all the more urgently now on humanitarian grounds.

The investigation into the 2007 murder in Kyrgyzstan of journalist Alisher Saipov was suspended, apparently indefinitely, in 2013. However, the recent reopening of the inquiry – following pressure from IFEX members – offers a glimmer of hope to the journalist’s family.

The Chui provincial court ruled that Azimjon Askarov’s life sentence could not be reviewed or overturned; neither Askarov nor his lawyer were able to attend the closed-door proceedings.

Jailed for life in 2010, his health deteriorating, Askarov is being held in extremely harsh conditions. His wife worries that his grandchildren will forget what he looks like due to the restrictions on family visits.