Kyrgyz Journalist Held Without Lawyer as Media Crackdown Deepens

The lawyer for Kloop cameraman Aleksandr Aleksandrov says he has been denied access to his client since Aleksandrov was transferred to a newly opened detention facility operated by Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (GKNB), raising concerns over due process and a worsening climate for press freedom in the country.

In a statement posted on Facebook, defense attorney Kaysyn Abakirov appealed directly to GKNB Chairman Kamchybek Tashiev, demanding immediate access to his client. “Access to legal counsel is a constitutional right,” Abakirov wrote, citing both national legislation and international human rights norms.

Aleksandrov and former Kloop staffer Zhoomart Duulatov were arrested May 28 in a sweeping operation by GKNB agents in Bishkek. Authorities also raided their homes and seized equipment. The pair were held and interrogated without legal representation for an entire day — a violation of Kyrgyz criminal procedure.

Both men remain in pre-trial detention until at least July 21 on charges of “inciting mass unrest.” No evidence has been made public, and their hearing took place behind closed doors. Abakirov said lawyers have not been allowed into the new GKNB detention center since it opened May 31, citing “ongoing construction.” Officials have not provided a timeline for when access will be restored.

The arrests are part of a broader crackdown on independent media in Kyrgyzstan. In May, several Kloop journalists were detained, and the outlet was forcibly shut down in early 2024 after publishing investigations into customs corruption. In January, 11 reporters from Temirov Live, another OCCRP partner, were also arrested.

International watchdogs including Reporters Without Borders and Human Rights Watch have condemned the Kyrgyz government’s actions as an escalating assault on press freedom.