Kyrgyzstan must retract its decision to liquidate the country’s award-winning investigative outlet Kloop Media, eight international human rights groups said on September 9.

A refusal to do so could turn Kloop into a self-exiled media outfit that attempts to reach readers in Kyrgyzstan from a base, or bases, abroad. Last week, the Havli blog on Central Asia noted that Kloop’s co-founder, Rinat Tukhvatshin, said his team would continue working despite the decision for closure made by the authorities. Much of Kloop’s team has relocated to Europe and does its journalism remotely, it added.

“The regression in media freedoms tarnishes Kyrgyzstan’s international reputation and raises questions about its commitment to the values UN Human Rights Council members are expected to uphold,” said Brigitte Dufour, director of International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR).

“The Kyrgyz authorities’ move to liquidate the acclaimed independent news organisation Kloop Media is yet another sign that the government prefers to silence critics rather than address the issues they raise. This is an unacceptable attack on press freedom. Independent media like Kloop Media are the canary in the mine for civil and political rights; silencing them leaves no doubt about the deterioration of freedom. The Kyrgyz government must reverse its assault on Kloop Media and other critical voices,” said John Stauffer, acting executive director at Civil Rights Defenders.

“We urge the Kyrgyz government to halt its campaign of intimidation and legal persecution against journalists and media outlets, allowing Kloop and all other independent news sources to operate without interference or fear of reprisal,” said Marie Struthers, director of Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office. “The recent actions against Kloop Media, a beacon of investigative journalism in Kyrgyzstan, represent a grave threat to press freedom and human rights in the region.”

On August 29, Kloop Media Public Foundation reported that Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court upheld a February liquidation order from a Bishkek district court issued against the publication. The decision was made in a closed hearing on 16 July, but Kloop Media was only informed on 22 August. The Supreme Court’s rulings are considered final and not subject to appeal.

“The forced closure of Kloop Media not only silences a crucial voice in Kyrgyzstani society but also signals a continued decline in Kyrgyzstan’s respect for civil and political rights and freedoms of its citizens,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This action undermines the public’s right to information and further weakens the foundations of democratic governance in the country.”

The case against Kloop Media was initiated in August 2023 following the opening of a lawsuit by Bishkek City Prosecutor’s Office. The lawsuit alleged that Kloop had failed to register as a mass media outlet and had engaged in media activity not listed in its charter, breaching Kyrgyzstan’s civil law code. The lawsuit also referred to a pre-trial investigation into Kloop’s activities initiated by the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security in November 2021. It alleged violations of criminal code provisions against “making public calls for the violent seizure of power online”.

The lawsuit accused Kloop Media of “sharp criticism of [the] government”. It listed a number of articles that it categorised as critical of the populist-nationalist Japarov administration's policies and of state and municipal bodies.

The opinions of several court-affiliated legal experts cited in the lawsuit said that Kloop’s publications use “hidden manipulation”, leading to “dissatisfaction” and “distrust” of the authorities among its readership. That, the lawsuit concluded, could lead to their “zombification” and to encouraging readers to join anti-government protests.

Kloop Media, said freedom of expression campaigning organisation Article 19, is known for its independent reporting on national and regional affairs. It has also collaborated on anti-corruption investigations with the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz Service and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global investigative journalism network.

The assault on Kloop is part of a broader pattern of media repression in Kyrgyzstan, said the human rights organisations that are demanding the media outlet be allowed to continue operating.

In January 2024, police arrested 11 current and former journalists associated with Temirov Live, another investigative outlet, following raids on their homes. They faced criminal charges in retaliation for their reporting and are currently on trial. Four remain in pretrial detention.

In 2023, the authorities brought cases against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz Service, resulting in the freezing of its bank account and the blocking of its website. In addition, in January 2024, the office of the news agency 24.kg was closed for more than two months pending a “spurious criminal investigation” opened following a raid and the detention of media editors by the Kyrgyz national security agency, Article 19 said.

“Numerous other independent media outlets, journalists, and bloggers have also faced increasing pressure, including politically-motivated criminal cases, arrests, and prosecution. The websites of various independent news sites have been arbitrarily blocked, creating a chilling effect on free expression throughout the country,” Article 19 added.