Former Kloop Employees Sentenced to Five Years in Kyrgyzstan for “Calling for Unrest”

A Bishkek court has sentenced two former camera operators from the independent outlet Kloop to five years in prison for videos they did not produce, Orda.kz reports. 

Kloop described the verdict as “cannibalistic, senseless, and illogical.”

Case Background

The trial of four former Kloop employees began in early August. On September 17, former camera operators Zhoomart Duulatov and Alexander Alexandrov were sentenced to five years in a general-regime penal colony. Two accountants received three-year suspended sentences.

All four were convicted of inciting unrest over five videos that, according to Kloop, they had no involvement in.

All five articles were published by investigative journalist Bolot Temirov on the YouTube channel Temirov Live. Bolot Temirov has previously stated that he is not acquainted with or affiliated with the former Kloop operators and accountants. He also noted that he produces all of his own content,
the outlet reported.

Investigators also sought to prove that Bolot Temirov was financing the outlet, but did not provide evidence.

Defense Position

The defendants pleaded not guilty, saying they had faced pressure during the investigation. In court, they retracted earlier confessions made without legal representation.

The defense argued that the trial was intended to intimidate other Kyrgyz journalists “so that they no longer associate with Temirov Live and others.”

Pressure on Kloop

Kloop’s editorial team has faced pressure from the authorities for years. In autumn 2023, the site was blocked, and in February 2024, a court ordered the liquidation of the Kloop Media public foundation.

In 2024, 11 journalists were convicted under the same article on inciting unrest. Among them were Temirov Live project head Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy and akyn (poet) Azamat Ishenbekov of the Ait Ait Dese project, sentenced to six and five years in prison, respectively.

Ishenbekov was granted a presidential pardon on April 9, 2025, and released.

Original Author: Oksana Matvienko