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DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST JOURNALISTS 

UA: Second 30.24 Kyrgyzstan
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This action ended on January 6, 2025

On October 10, 2024 Leninsky District Court in Bishkek convicted four employees of “Temirov Live” and “Ayt Ayt Dese”, two independent media projects that have investigated allegations of corruption in Kyrgyzstan. Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy, the head of “Temirov Live”, was sentenced to six years in prison, journalist and akyn (poet), Azamat Ishenbekov, was sentenced to five years in prison, while factchecker, Aike Beishekeeva, and investigative journalist, Aktilek Kaparov, were sentenced to three years of probation on trumped-up charges of “calls for active disobedience […] and for mass riots, as well as calls for violence against citizens”. Seven other defendants were acquitted.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: January 6, 2025

Sample Letter

Dear General Prosecutor,

I am writing to express my deep concern over the guilty verdicts handed down on October 10, 2024 against “Temirov Live” journalists: Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy, Azamat Ishenbekov, Aike Beishekeeva, and Aktilek Kaparov.

They were found guilty of “calling for active disobedience and mass riots, as well as calls for violence against citizens” based on a video published on social media that accused government officials of corruption. The journalists deny the charges. I am concerned that these charges have been brought to punish the journalists for their criticism of the authorities, in violation of the right to freedom of expression.

I urge you to:

Do everything within your power to ensure that Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy and Azamat Ishenbekov are released immediately, and that all charges against all four convicted journalists of “Temirov Live” and “Ayt Ayt Dese” media are dropped, and that they are allowed to continue their professional activities in Kyrgyzstan without undue restrictions.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

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