Affiliated media: ResPublica, Social and political newspaper

Incident date: July 21, 2022

Attack type:

• Shutting down a media outlet / blocking an Internet site/ seizure of an entire print run

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: ResPublica

Location: Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

Additional information:

The website respublica.kg was blocked on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. This decision was made by the Ministry of Culture at the demand of Asan Toktosunov, ex-president of Manas Management Company. He demanded to remove allegedly inaccurate information published about him in two articles on the website of the newspaper. As editor-in-chief Zamira Sydykova wrote in her Facebook account, the media's journalists had spent two years investigating corruption at Manas International Airport in Bishkek. They uncovered a corruption scheme and revealed the relationship of Manas Management's directorship with intermediary companies and high-ranking officials. Asan Toktosunov, the former president of Manas Management, was arrested in 2021 for complicity in corruption. He made a deal with the investigation and also reimbursed the damages to the state in the amount of USD 200,000. After that, he filed a lawsuit against ResPublica for allegedly publishing false facts.