Kyrgyzstan: Authorities Continue Detentions and Searches Linked to Kloop

On May 29, Kyrgyz authorities continued detaining individuals and conducting searches related to the media outlet Kloop, Orda.kz reports, citing the outlet’s Telegram channel.

Later in the evening, officers from the State Committee for National Security visited an office in Bishkek associated with the publication, where documents unrelated to editorial work were kept.

On the same day, employee Abdil Torobaev was taken in for questioning following a search. Authorities also visited Symbat Baymurzaeva, the office manager, who is not involved in the production of journalistic materials, according to editor-in-chief Anna Kapushenko.

This follows detentions on May 28 in various cities across Kyrgyzstan, involving seven people: three current Kloop journalists, two former staff members, and two individuals who were nearby at the time.

Only two people managed to inform others of their detention, while five were unreachable. After questioning, two former staff — Zhoomart Duulatov and cameraman Aleksandr Aleksandrov — were placed in temporary detention for 48 hours.

The rest were released due to a lack of legal grounds for detention.

There has been no official confirmation of the charges. Speculations include incitement of ethnic discord and calls for unrest, according to lawyers and security service representatives.

Presidential press secretary Daiyrbek Orunbekov stated that the detainees allegedly worked with journalist Bolot Temirov and conducted commissioned investigations. Temirov denied any connection, calling the claims an attempt to associate others with him and fabricate charges.

A hearing to determine preventive measures is scheduled at Bishkek’s Pervomaisky District Court on May 30.

Journalism in Kyrgyzstan is criminalized, and violence against citizens (I consider illegal interrogations and searches to be violence) is normalized. Criminalization of the profession means that you will be persecuted by the authorities simply for doing your job. And if you do your job well, you will be imprisoned. The normalization of violence in Kyrgyzstan is now clearly manifested in relation to women and girls, as well as journalists, activists, human rights defenders, and so on. In relation to journalists, the normalization of violence is manifested in this way: you yourself are to blame because you cannot write articles about ekidos. I also call this dancing on the bones,
 wrote Anna Kapushenko. She also criticized what she described as a broader pattern of pressure on journalists and civil society actors.

Kloop is known for its reporting on corruption in government institutions. Human rights organizations have described the events as political persecution of an independent media outlet.

In February 2024, a court in Bishkek ordered the liquidation of the Kloop Media public foundation, following a request by the city prosecutor’s office. The publication was accused of discrediting government officials.

Its website remains blocked in Kyrgyzstan.

Original Author: Raushan Korzhumbekova