Prosecutors had accused 11 journalists from the investigative media outlet Temirov Live of inciting and organizing mass riots. The case began with an overnight roundup in January, and ended today with a sentence of six years for Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, and five years for Azamat Ishenbekov.
“There is no justice or honesty in this country, everything is dead,” Ishenbekov said in a message posted on Telegram right after the verdict was announced.
Two more defendants, Aktilek Kaparov and Aike Beishekeeva, were handed three years probation, while the remaining seven journalists were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The judge in the case said Tazhibek’s son would need to go to an orphanage for the duration of her imprisonment, because her husband is not in the country.
Tazhibek’s husband is Bolot Temirov, who founded the media organization that is under attack by the government. Temirov is in exile and has been stripped of his Kyrgyz citizenship.
Press freedom groups have called the case political, and linked it to the Kyrgyz government’s ongoing crackdown on free expression.
“The media climate in Kyrgyzstan, once relatively free, has deteriorated significantly due to government raids, arrests of journalists, forced media closure initiatives, and blocking of news sites,” the International Partnership for Human Rights said in a September 30 briefing.
Amnesty International on October 2 called on the government to drop the charges against the 11 Temirov Live journalists.
“These charges are nothing more than a politically motivated attempt to stifle free expression and punish journalists for their work,” the rights group said in a statement.
Temirov Live is an OCCRP media partner in Kyrgyzstan, which has reported extensively on government corruption.