Kyrgyzstan's authorities declare war on civil society - rosmedia

Russian journalists demand the release of media workers detained in Bishkek. The media wrote an open letter to the Kyrgyz authorities. This was reported by UNN with reference to local media.

The Kyrgyz authorities have declared war on civil society and have chosen repression as a weapon. And, of course, such repression is a demonstration to all those who decide to engage in investigative journalism in Kyrgyzstan that there are topics that cannot be dealt with. 

Details

The letter was signed by 50 journalists and editorial teams. The authors of the appeal stated that the Kyrgyz authorities "have launched a large-scale repression against free journalism".

It is noted that on January 15, the editorial office of the portal 24.kg was searched on charges of "war propaganda". The next day, 11 investigative journalists were detained. They were arrested on charges of calling for mass riots.

Security forces detained not only journalists but also protesters.

However, the exact number of detained protesters is unknown. According to various local media estimates, security forces have imprisoned more than 20 people.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case on the facts of the riots under the articles on organizing and participating in mass riots (parts 1 and 2 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and the use of violence against a representative of the authorities (part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation said in a statement that calls to protest near the Baymak District Court were posted on social media and messengers "with the aim of organizing mass riots.

Recall

On Wednesday, January 17, in Baymak, in the republic of Bashkortostan, protesters clashed with police outside the court building where activist Fail Alsinov, who is accused of inciting hatred, was sentenced today. 

It is noted that before the activist's sentence was announced, several communities that covered the events of the protest disappeared from the telegram.

For reference

Fayil Alsinov is a well-known activist in Bashkortostan, once the head of the Bashkort NGO, which was recognized as an extremist organization by the Russian authorities in 2020 and banned. In particular, Bashkort defended the Bashkir language and advocated for greater influence of local communities.

Last April, Alsynov spoke out against illegal gold mining in the Urals, an industry that is destroying the region's agricultural land. Alsynov said that those who destroy nature in Bashkortostan will return to their homes later, but that the Bashkirs themselves have no other home. In his address, Alsynov used the phrase "kara khalyk," which literally translates as "black peoples." Although, in the modern Turkic language, this word is used in the sense of "peoples", without additional adjectives.

Formally, Alsynov was sentenced to four years in prison for this very phrase. The court in the city of Baymak passed the sentence on January 17. The activist, they say, humiliated the human dignity of a group of people - residents of the Caucasus and Central Asia. The governor of the region, Radiy Khabirov, filed a complaint against him, noting that he "opposed the Bashkir people" to other peoples of Russia.  

Alsynov's supporters believe that the case against him is the governor's revenge for the events of 2020. Back then, activists stopped the development of soda production on Mount Kushtau. After a several-month confrontation with the authorities, which Khabirov called paid for, this area received the status of a protected area.