Blogger Aftandil Zhorobekov questioned the police. He assessed it as pressure from the authorities for his posts on the Instagram social page. Before him, free journalist Idyrys Isakov and blogger Ulukbek Karybek uulu were also interrogated by law enforcement agencies.
Aftandil Zhorobekov The creator of the Instagram page bespredelkg30 went to the Oktyabr district police of Bishkek for questioning on March 25.
According to the blogger, he was interrogated by the police as a witness under Article 330 of the Criminal Code, namely “Inciting racial, ethnic, national, religious or interregional enmity”.
Zhorobekov said that on March 27, the police called again, saying “there is information to be clarified”. He believes that his posts criticizing the government on Instagram were the reason for this, and he considers it as pressure.
“It is clear that those who tell the truth have been slandered as enemies through fakes and state TV channels as “evil people, foreign spies, invaders of Europe.” Can’t you tell us the truth now?”
The activist has been on Instagram since 2021 distribute kg30 has been running the page. It publishes posts about the government’s promises, problems faced by the people, shortcomings in the construction industry, and some statements of parliamentarians.
In the latest statements of Zhorobekov, his name was mentioned in the corruption investigations in customs in the construction of a large business center in Bishkek. Habibullah Abdukadyr There are posts about the businessman, President Japarov’s speech at Ala-Too Square on the New Year holiday, the construction of “Asman” city and the collapse of the Tamchy airport wall.
Zhorobekov added that he did not agree to interrogate him under Article 330:
“While poverty is increasing, the president builds a new residence and goes to international meetings with private planes. The arrival of the new government was not a lustration. If we don’t say it openly, then where are we going? For example, we can see how many people are in prison in connection with the Kempir-Abad cases. Therefore, this indicates that the current government has taken full control of law enforcement agencies and the judicial system.”
The police have not commented on the questioning of the blogger.
In 2019, UKMK arrested a civil activist on suspicion of “inciting inter-regional enmity”. The special service accused him of “spreading provocative and disparaging information on the current government and encouraging the organization of mass protests.” Civil society demanded the authorities to release the activist. Zhorobekov was soon released from prison and his case was dismissed.
Idyrys Isakov was interrogated twice in two months
March 23, freelance journalist and blogger Idris Isakov also questioned the Osh city police. The inspector of the Osh City Tax Service filed a complaint against the journalist on the grounds of “damaging my dignity”.
“One of the residents of Shark village of Kara-Suu district reported that the inspector had taken five hundredths of land for himself with a fake document. When I went to find out the details of the incident, the tax official refused to answer and the video of him running away went viral on the Internet and caused a heated discussion. The day after the incident On the same day, the inspector himself returned and said that there was no forgery of the document, that he was not guilty of anything, and that there was a slander against him, and we published that video,” Isakov explained the details of the case.
Isakov was also questioned on February 5. The freelance journalist, who was summoned for questioning twice in two months, describes it as a “selective approach” by law enforcement agencies.
“The investigator must make a decision against me within 10 days. He will initiate or dismiss the case. However, I told him that the documents and stamps received by the Tax Inspectorate were fake. The investigator asked me more questions about the mass media. “You should have turned on your camera and other equipment and conducted an interview.” because of exaggeration, our economy is on the knees now. Despite this, society only demands from journalists not to exaggerate and limit themselves. Why don’t we say that corruption and crime in the police and among officials have gone too far, why don’t we say that overlapping structures and the army of officials have gone too far? Journalists Exaggerated and hated the people There is no place. I can say 100% that all the documents of the official I visited were not done. And should I be very polite to that person? If we don’t say something like this, corruption will go even further.”
The journalist said that the case of the tax inspector who filed a complaint against him is under investigation, but he is being treated very humanely.
Osh city police confirmed that Idyrs Isakov was interrogated as a witness.
Responsibility of the journalist
Member of Parliament Balbak Tulabaev believes that free journalists and bloggers should also feel responsible and refrain from slandering anyone.
“Activists, journalists, and bloggers have all been slandered together. Now there are no journalists with an analytical point of view. The same Zhorobekov criticizes public officials and publishes unverified information. A person who expresses public opinion should be a journalist. Basically, we are concerned with human rights. It’s time to sort out the issues. It’s not right that everyone shouted. I think it should be sorted out within the law. Otherwise, the cases of freedom of speech have increased. There are more people who give wrong information. For example, I’m also full of slander, they make caricatures and become corrupt. , they show me as a thief and a cannibal. But there is no one who actually proves it. This has a great negative impact on my children and relatives.”
Bulak.kg website editor Semetey Amanbekov He said that it is not the first time that both the aforementioned Zhorobekov and Isakov have been called for questioning, and that this is becoming a systematic phenomenon. Amanbekov warned that all efforts have been made to lose freedom of speech in the country, but this will hinder democratic Kyrgyzstan.
“An attempt is being made to close the free media by adopting the law on mass media. Second, journalists and bloggers are called for questioning and put pressure on. “You should be beaten on sight” and spread them on social networks. However, none of them were brought to justice. And despite the information provided by journalists and bloggers, it is one-sided.
Despite the recent events, the Kyrgyz authorities repeatedly repeat that there is no pressure on freedom of expression in the country.
in 2020 Sadyr Japarov He promised to protect journalists when he took office as president. He said that “if there are threats to the lives of investigative reporters, the state will provide guards if necessary.”
He noted that freedom of speech and safety of journalists will be guaranteed at the press conference after winning the election. “I myself am fully committed to the protection of freedom of speech. I will definitely protect it. If you are being harassed, I will be there. But what I have asked you many times, whether it is my speech or the words of other politicians and members of the government, “Don’t drag us to the other side with your comments, and write two-sided, impartial information. Then there will be no persecution. Anyway, I would like to ask you, journalists, to be responsible as well,” said President Japarov.
In its new report “Freedom in the World – 2023”, the international organization Freedom House (FH) included Kyrgyzstan among the “unfree” countries for the third year in a row. The organization notes that political rights are limited in the country, and the media is under pressure.