Gulnoza Said, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator, noted: "This decision to label internationally recognized investigative publications Kloop and Temirov Live, as well as their founders, as extremists is a shocking and desperate attempt to suppress anti-corruption investigations targeting the highest echelons of power. This unprecedented ruling demonstrates how far Kyrgyzstan has strayed from its status as a safe haven for freedom of speech."
According to the court ruling, these media outlets, as well as the Temirov Live project "Ayt Ayt dese," are prohibited from posting and distributing materials online.
Rinat Tukhvatshin told CPJ that this is the first case in Kyrgyzstan where news agencies have been declared "extremist." It is unclear how authorities will enforce this law; however, there is a danger that the sharing and liking of posts from these publications could be interpreted as support for extremist organizations and the dissemination of extremist content.
Recall that on October 27, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Bishkek granted the prosecutor's lawsuit, recognizing the materials of the online publications Temirov Live, Kloop Media, and "Ayt Ayt dese" as extremist.
