Bishkek Court Changes Sentences for Former Kloop Camera Operators

The Bishkek City Court has reduced the sentences of former Kloop camera operators Alexander Alexandrov and Zhoomart Duulatov, Orda.kz reports.

Their original five-year prison terms were replaced with three years of probation, and both men were released in the courtroom. According to Kloop, they had already spent seven months in pre-trial detention.

The two were previously convicted of “inciting unrest.”

Investigators argued that videos by journalist Bolot Temirov served as evidence, claiming the camera operators helped create and distribute them and that the videos allegedly contained government criticism.

Kloop maintains that the videos were posted on the Temirov Live YouTube channel and were solely produced by Temirov. He has repeatedly stated that he does not know Kloop’s camera operators or accountants and creates his videos independently.

The court also upheld the earlier ruling of three years’ probation for two accountants implicated in the same case.

All defendants pleaded not guilty. During the trial, they said they were pressured by investigators and retracted confessions made without legal representation. The defense argues that the prosecution aims to intimidate journalists in Kyrgyzstan.

As previously reported, Interpol rejected the Kyrgyz authorities’ request to locate Kloop co-founder Rinat Tukhvatshin, calling it politically motivated. In Kyrgyzstan, the activities of Kloop, Temirov Live, and Ait Ait Dese have been designated extremist, and Temirov has been added to the list of defendants.

Kloop’s newsroom has faced sustained pressure for years: its website was blocked in autumn 2023, and in February 2024, a court ordered the liquidation of the Kloop Media public foundation.

In total, 11 journalists were convicted in Kyrgyzstan in 2024 for inciting unrest. Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, head of Temirov Live, received six years, while Azamat Ishenbekov from Ait Ait Dese was sentenced to five years.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov