The road to democracy also runs through independent journalism. The case of Kyrgyzstan
Rights — di Lucia Bellinello
Kyrgyzstan is the only country in Central Asia with democratic aspirations. But it is taking wrong turns on press freedom.
The road to democracy also runs through independent journalism. The case of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is the only country in Central Asia with democratic aspirations. But it is taking wrong turns on press freedom.
Kyrgyzstan, the only country in Central Asia where a relative, if fragile, openness towards democratic values prevails, is taking worrying steps backward on the press freedom front.
At the end of May, eight journalists from the investigative outlet Kloop Media were detained and questioned, without being able to speak to a lawyer for hours. Two of them are being held in pre-trial detention until 21 July on charges of "incitement to mass disorder".
The crackdown initiated by the Kyrgyz authorities has alarmed human rights defenders. Ten international human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have signed a joint statement calling for the immediate dropping of charges and, above all, a more decisive response from the European Union, which in April launched a strategic partnership with Central Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan.
#Kyrgyzstan: We have serious concerns over the "foreign representatives" law due to come into force. It threatens the work of NGOs & violates rights to freedom of expression & association.
We call on authorities to repeal the law and respect international human rights standards.
We call on authorities to repeal the law and respect international human rights standards.
The crackdown on independent journalism
Kloop Media is considered one of the most authoritative investigative outlets in the country. Over the years it has published several investigations into corruption, nepotism and disinformation within the public administration. In February 2024 a court in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek ordered the outlet to close, arguing that its investigations "undermine trust in government institutions". Since then the website has been blocked in Kyrgyzstan, but continues to publish content.
"The detention of Kloop Media journalists is yet another glaring example of how Kyrgyzstan's security apparatus is being used to stifle dissent and dismantle independent journalism," said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International's Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. "These actions are clearly aimed at intimidating critical voices."
The Kloop Media case is not the first instance of muzzling. Last year the independent outlet Mediazona reported raids and interrogations targeting dozens of journalists connected to other online projects such as Ait Ait Bese and Temirov Live. Eleven were reportedly arrested and two of them received sentences of up to six years in prison. Even the lawyer representing some of the defendants, Samat Matsakov, was arrested.
According to Mediazona, the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry opened proceedings against these outlets on charges of inciting mass disorder. The editorial team of the portal 24.kg was also raided and proceedings were opened against the outlet for "war propaganda".
Kyrgyzstan's difficult democratic journey
Unlike its neighbouring countries, where the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the rise of authoritarian and repressive systems, Kyrgyzstan over the years stood out for having embarked on a tentative democratisation process, unique across all of Central Asia.
The popular revolutions of 2005 and 2010, which led to the ousting of leaders deemed corrupt and authoritarian, paved the way for a parliamentary system of government characterised by greater political pluralism and a degree of press independence.
The 2010 uprisings were followed by the first peaceful transfer of power, which took place after relatively free and transparent presidential elections.
Despite continuing to grapple with serious structural problems such as corruption and human rights violations, Kyrgyzstan in recent years had embarked on a promising democratic turn — at least until 2020, when the third revolution in fifteen years broke out, triggered by alleged fraud in the parliamentary elections. Amid the chaos of the uprisings, the populist politician Sadyr Japarov was released from prison where he was serving an eleven-year sentence for the kidnapping of a local official, and managed in a short space of time to climb to the top of the power pyramid, eventually assuming the office of president.
Japarov's presidency — with many viewing him as "the man of the people", "a voice for the voiceless" — is characterised by nationalist appeals that have found fertile ground especially in rural areas and the country's poorest regions. And since coming to power he has leveraged his popularity (he is the most followed Kyrgyz politician on social media) to amend the constitution, strengthen executive power and curtail freedoms, always in the name of the "people".
Japarov's actions, argue some analysts, are significant because they "represent a shift from old-style authoritarianism to new forms of autocratic and illiberal power consolidation under the guise of popular consent".
Now the new constitution championed by Japarov has reduced the number of parliamentarians, granted the president greater legislative powers and abolished the single presidential term limit.
"The president of Kyrgyzstan is transforming the country into a classic authoritarian regime through media repression, the elimination of opposition, the intimidation of elites and the cult of the 'one of ours in power'," commented Central Asia expert at the Carnegie Endowment, Temur Umarov.
According to many human rights defenders, the actions taken against the journalists of the investigative outlet Kloop Media are part of precisely this pattern.
The reaction of human rights defenders
In response to this crackdown, several international organisations have signed a letter calling for the immediate dropping of charges against the journalists and more decisive action from the European Union.
The detention of Kloop Media journalists is a "clear attempt to intimidate and stifle the outlet's investigative journalism, further undermining the already shrinking space for dissent and independent journalism," the statement reads.
As the crackdown on the free press in Kyrgyzstan continues, a local court there ordered our member center Kloop Media to shut down.
It won't.
And we will continue to support Kloop as it fights this ludicrous ruling, OCCRP publisher @DrewOCCRP said. 👇
occrp.org/en/40-press-re…
It won't.
And we will continue to support Kloop as it fights this ludicrous ruling, OCCRP publisher @DrewOCCRP said. 👇
occrp.org/en/40-press-re…
"We urge Kyrgyzstan's international partners, particularly the European Union, to take a firm public stance and call for an end to the dismantling of independent journalism in the country," the activists write.
Just a few months ago, last November, the European Union and the Kyrgyz Republic held their fourteenth Human Rights Dialogue to strengthen cooperation on human rights, fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and civil society. During the meeting, EU representatives expressed concerns about the effective freedom of expression, assembly and association in the country.
This meeting was followed by another important summit: the first high-level summit between European Union representatives and the leaders of the five Central Asian states, including Kyrgyzstan.
A summit described as historic, as it marked the beginning of a new strategic partnership between the two regions.
And one can only hope that the partnership with Brussels — which, at least on paper, aims to strengthen cooperation with the region — may serve at least to curb the authoritarian drift into which the country risks sliding.