Interpol Rejects Kyrgyzstan’s Request to Add Kloop Co-Founder to Wanted List

Interpol has rejected a request from Kyrgyz authorities to place Kloop co-founder Rinat Tukhvatshin on the international wanted list, Orda.kz reports, citing Kloop.

Officials in Bishkek had asked Interpol to circulate a notice for Tukhvatshin’s possible extradition, but the organization rejected the request, saying it was politically motivated.

Interpol’s constitution contains strict rules that prevent our system from being used for political purposes, so we rejected this request,
 said Samuel Heath, the organization’s Director of Communications.

I deeply regret that the Kyrgyz authorities have chosen to misuse the Interpol system. This could damage our country’s reputation. The system was designed to track dangerous criminals, but our government is using it to persecute journalists — in this case, me,
 he said in an interview with OCCRP.

The Interpol request followed an October 30 court ruling that labeled Tukhvatshin’s activities and Kloop’s materials “extremist.” The same ruling also extended to Temirov Live, Ait Ait Dese, and their founder, Bolot Temirov.

All of the journalists and outlets plan to appeal the verdict, maintaining that the charges are politically driven.

This is another round of repression that will hurt not only us but Kyrgyzstan as a whole — both in reputation and through the criminalization of innocent people,
 Tukhvatshin added.

In August, four former Kloop staff members were tried on charges of "inciting unrest.”

Authorities claimed their reporting threatened national stability. Two cameramen received five-year prison sentences for videos they allegedly had no role in producing. The October court decision declaring Kloop extremist provoked widespread condemnation from international rights organizations.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva