Yrys Zhekshenaliyev

Affiliated media: PolitUznik's Facebook page, Administrator, Online activist

Incident date: September 2, 2022

Attack type:

Non-fatal attack / beating / injury / torture

Who attacked: Authorities

Location: Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

Additional information:

19-year-old blogger Yrys Zhekshenaliyev was left in the detention center. Such verdict was given by the Bishkek City Court on September 2. Zhekshenaliyev was taken from the courtroom by force. While he was being taken out, he shouted that the guards were twisting his arms. Earlier, Zhekshenaliyev was charged under the article «Calls to active disobedience to the legitimate demands of the representatives of the authorities and to mass disorder, as well as calls to violence against citizens» of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic. The charge is related to the blogger’s reposting of an old publication on social networks, which criticized the idea of developing the Zhetim-Too iron ore deposit in the Naryn region of Kyrgyzstan. On August 12, there was a meeting of local residents in Naryn, who demanded to deprive Gold Content Company of its license for iron mining. President Sadyr Japarov wrote on his Facebook page that measures should be taken against «false patriots».