Kyrgyzstan: Convictions of Kloop Contributors Highlight Escalating Assault on Media Freedom

International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) deplores the conviction yesterday of four former staff members of the independent investigative platform Kloop in Kyrgyzstan after an unfair trial. These convictions mark a new peak in the authorities’ campaign of retaliation against Kloop – renowned for exposing corruption, abuse of power, and human rights violations – and send a chilling message to all those engaged in independent journalism in the country.

On 17 September 2025, Pervomaisky District Court in Bishkek sentenced former Kloop video operators Aleksander Aleksandrov and Joomart Duulatov to five years in prison and two accountants to three years’ probation on charges of “calling for mass unrest” under Article 278 of the Criminal Code. This vaguely worded provision has increasingly been weaponised against government critics.

The prosecution’s case rested on a few videos published by exiled journalist Bolot Temirov, founder of Temirov Live, who was stripped of his citizenship and expelled from Kyrgyzstan in 2022. Investigators alleged that the former Kloop staff participated in producing and distributing these videos, deemed to be “destructive” and to contain  “false” information and ‘’unfounded criticism’’ of authorities. Yet the prosecution presented no credible evidence linking the defendants to the videos – and none of them were published by Kloop.

All four defendants denied any involvement in the production and dissemination of the videos. Aleksandrov and Duulatov retracted “confessions” obtained in detention without legal counsel, saying they were coerced through pressure and promises of release. Bolot Temirov has repeatedly confirmed that he alone produces his videos and has no ties to the former Kloop staff. Even experts for the prosecution, who were tasked with evaluating the videos, questioned the relevance of their assessments to the defendants. At the same time, the experts found no direct calls for unrest in the videos. At most, one of them pointed to the slogan – “Freedom is not granted, freedom is sought” – as potentially problematic. In effect, the videos were treated as unlawful solely because they contained sharp criticism of those in power, underscoring how dissent itself is being equated with criminal activity.

These circumstances demonstrate the completely unfounded nature of the charges brought against the former Kloop contributors and point to a serious miscarriage of justice, with this case setting a dangerous precedent that threatens all independent voices in Kyrgyzstan.

The convictions come in a context of escalating reprisals against Kloop. In 2024, the organisation running Kloop was dissolved by court order over the platform’s allegedly “negative” coverage of the government. While continuing its work through another organisation, Kloop has faced sustained harassment. In a sweeping operation conducted in May 2025, security services arbitrarily detained eight current and former Kloop employees—along with two of their friends— and searched their homes without court warrants. While most were released after questioning, the two former video operators and two accountants now on trial were subjected to criminal prosecution. In a joint statement issued on 3 June 2025, IPHR and seven other human rights NGOs expressed alarm that these actions constituted  a clear attempt to intimidate and silence the platform’s independent reporting.

The targeting of Kloop reflects Kyrgyzstan’s rapidly deteriorating media climate. The country fell 24 places in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index to 144th out of 180 countries—its lowest-ever ranking, now below Kazakhstan.

Authorities have increasingly targeted independent outlets, journalists, and bloggers through raids, prosecutions, and other tactics. Following raids in January 2024, authorities detained and prosecuted a group of journalists linked to the Temirov Live platform – also known for investigating corruption. Four of them were later convicted under the same Criminal Code provision used in the Kloop case, and the platform’s director, Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, remains imprisoned. In July 2025, another outlet – April TV – was shut down for allegedly “discrediting” the government through “sarcasm” and “ridicule,” while its contributors were summoned for questioning. The same month, freelance journalist Kanyshay Mamyrkulova was given four years’ probation and subjected to wide-ranging restrictions on her online activity for allegedly calling for unrest and inciting inter-ethnic discord in social media posts about a border deal with Tajikistan. Several other bloggers and activists have also faced politically motivated prosecutions for exercising their freedom of expression and other fundamental rights.

Meanwhile, a new media law adopted by Parliament in June 2025 has heightened concerns about further pressure on independent media, particularly by requiring mandatory registration for all media outlets – including online platforms – and granting authorities broad discretion over registration procedures. This has raised fears that it could be used to arbitrarily deny registration to critical media outlets. An earlier, more balanced draft elaborated through consultations with the media community was discarded in favour of this restrictive version, which President Japarov signed into law in August despite widespread calls for a veto.

IPHR urges the Kyrgyzstani authorities to reverse the ongoing alarming deterioration and to:

• Drop all charges against the four former Kloop contributors and immediately and unconditionally release the two former video operators, as well as other journalists convicted on unsubstantiated charges;
• End the harassment and intimidation of Kloop and its staff, as well as other outlets and journalists targeted for critical reporting, ensuring they can carry out their professional duties in safety and without interference;
• Bring the new media law into line with Kyrgyzstan’s international human rights obligations and ensure it is not used to stifle independent journalism.