11 Journalists Detained: Case Sent to Court
Eleven Journalists from Temirov Live Face Legal Proceedings
The latest developments in the case against 11 current and former journalists from Temirov Live have seen the materials transferred to court. The Pervomaisky District Court in the capital has reported that the criminal case has been received by the court office and will soon be passed on to a judge through the automatic distribution system of cases.
The investigation of the case was completed earlier and the materials were sent to the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek, according to lawyer Nursultan Janybek who spoke to the media outlet PolitKlinika.
On January 16, the office of Temirov Live was searched and editorial equipment was confiscated. Subsequently, homes were searched and 11 current and former employees of the media outlet were detained.
The Ministry of Interior issued a statement mentioning the initiation of criminal proceedings against the individuals under article 278, part 3 of the Criminal Code for “calling for riots” after a forensic linguistic examination of content on their social media pages.
The detained journalists include Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, Sapar Akunbekov, Azamat Ishenbekov, Saipidin Sultanaliev, Aktilek Kaparov, Tynystan Asypbekov, Maksat Tazhibek uulu, Zhoodar Buzumov, Zhumabek Turdaliev, Aike Beishekeeva, and Akyl Orozbekov. All 11 individuals have been arrested for two months.
Subsequently, some of the detained journalists were placed under house arrest by the court and released under a written undertaking not to leave the city. The case continues to unfold as legal proceedings progress.
