Azaman Ishenbekov

Affiliated media: Ayt Ayt Dese, Journalist, Akyn

Incident date: July 9, 2024

Attack type:

• Confiscation/seizure of property, vehicles, equipment, documents

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: 24.kg

Location: Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

Additional information:

Four investigative journalists, who are in pre-trial detention centres, had their cells searched and their T-shirts with inscriptions «Ak iyilet, birok sonbayt!» («The truth bends but does not break!») confiscated. The arrested journalists wore these T-shirts to attend court hearings. The lawyer of Temirov Live journalists Ulan Seyitbekov appealed to the prosecutor’s office about the illegal seizure of T-shirts from defendants held in pre-trial detention centres. He also appealed to the Ombudsman Institute and the National Centre for the Prevention of Torture. 11 current and former investigative journalists of Temirov Live were arrested on January 16, 2024, after police officers searched their flats and the office of Temirov Live and confiscated editorial equipment. The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that following a «forensic linguistic examination» of the content on the pages of Temirov Live, a criminal case was opened under the article «сalls for mass riots».