On October 26, Kyrgyz authorities blocked the website of Radio Azattyk, the Kyrgyz branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, for a period of two months. The reason was a story about new clashes on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, in which dozens of people died and thousands were forced to temporarily evacuate. Two days ago, Azattyk’s bank accounts were also frozen without clear explanation — by order of the Kyrgyz secret police, Azattyk’s management learned.
A Radio Azattyk reporter covers a protest against corruption in the Kyrgyz customs service in Bishkek in December 2019. (Photo: Gulzhan Turdubayeva/Radio Azattyk)