“The authorities of Kyrgyzstan have declared war on civil society.” Russian journalists called for the release of media workers detained in Bishkek

Russian journalists issued an appeal in which they called for stopping the persecution of journalists from independent publications in Kyrgyzstan. The letter was signed by 50 journalists and individual media outlets.

The authors of the appeal stated that the authorities of Kyrgyzstan “launched large-scale repression against free journalism”: on January 15, the editorial office of the 24.kg portal was searched on charges of “war propaganda”, and the next day 11 journalists from various investigative projects were detained and arrested on charges in “calls for mass riots.”

“The current arrest of 11 journalists on charges of “calling for mass riots” confirmed the worst fears: the Kyrgyz authorities have declared war on civil society and chosen repression as a weapon. And of course, such repressions are a demonstration to everyone who decides to engage in investigative journalism in Kyrgyzstan that there are topics that cannot be dealt with. This is a serious blow to freedom of speech in a country where this institution was one of the strongest in Central Asia,” the appeal says.

The signatories of the letter stated that “journalists should not go to jail for their work.” They called on democratic countries to begin diplomatic contacts to release the journalists as soon as possible and end criminal cases against them.