Court Invalidates Culture Ministry’s Decision to Block Kloop Website
The Administrative Court of Bishkek has made a decision regarding the blocking of the Kloop website by the Ministry of Culture. The court found the Ministry’s actions to remove material from the website and then block it to be invalid. This news was reported by the staff of the media outlet on their Telegram channel.
Lawyer Nurbek Sydykov has stated that the website can be unblocked if the Bishkek City Court also makes a similar decision. The decision by the Administrative Court specifically applies to the Russian-language version of the Kloop website, which has been blocked since September 12, and the Kyrgyz version, which has been blocked since early November.
The Kloop.kg website was initially blocked due to a material titled “Politician Ravshan Dzheenbekov stated that he was tortured in the pretrial detention center 1.” The State Committee for National Security raised concerns about the material to the Ministry of Culture, claiming that it did not reflect reality and harmed the reputation of the SCNS. However, the news item also included a statement from the Penitentiary Service denying Dzheenbekov’s claims of torture.
The media outlet is now awaiting further developments in the case and is hopeful that the website will be unblocked following the court’s decision. The situation highlights the ongoing challenges faced by media outlets in Kyrgyzstan and the importance of freedom of the press in the country.
