In the early morning of March 20, law enforcement officers in Kyrgyzstan detained Kanyshay Mamyrkulova. Mamyrkulova’s relatives told local media that police officers arrived at her home in the morning, and pretended to be potential buyers of an apartment she was selling, before forcibly taking her away. Two days later, on March 22, Sverdlovsky District Court in Bishkek issued a two-month detention order against her. The court session was held behind closed doors without the presence of Mamyrkulova’s lawyer. She is currently held in a detention facility in Bishkek.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as quoted by Kyrgyzstani media, Kanyshay Mamyrkulova is accused of spreading “false’’ information about the Kyrgyz-Tajik border issue, destabilizing the socio-political situation, calling for mass riots, and inciting ethnic discord between neighbouring countries and Kyrgyz citizens. The Ministry stated a criminal case was opened against the journalist following a forensic linguistic examination, leading to her detention. She is facing charges of ‘’calling for mass riots’’ (Article 278 of the Criminal Code), and “incitement to inter-ethnic discord” (Criminal Code Article 330), which carry punishments of up to eight- and seven-years’ imprisonment, respectively.
Kanyshay Mamyrkulova started her career in journalism 25 years ago as a correspondent for the regional newspaper “Issyk-Kul Kabarlary”. From 2012 she served as editor-in-chief of several outlets, including the newspapers Alibi, the opposition television channel “September” and the multimedia agency “Govori TV”. In 2019 she founded the information agency “MKA-TV”. In recent years, she has been active on social media as a freelance journalist, often sharing her views on social and political issues and openly criticizing the government. Prior to her detention she had posted critical comments regarding the recent Kyrgyzstani-Tajikistani border agreement.
“The retaliatory case against Kanyzhay Mamyrkulov violates freedom of expression and media freedom, both guaranteed by the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Kyrgyzstan has ratified”. “Authorities in Kyrgyzstan must immediately release Mamyrkulova, drop the unfounded charges against her and cease the unprecedented clampdown on free speech in the country”, the groups said.
The case against Kanyshay Mamyrkulova is the latest in a broader pattern of escalating persecution of independent journalists, bloggers and activists in Kyrgyzstan. The vaguely worded criminal code provisions under which Mamyrkulov has been charged have repeatedly been used to target journalists, bloggers and activists because of social media posts critical of the government. Some of them have been imprisoned, including journalists from Temirov Live, an investigative outlet. In January 2024, police arrested 11 journalists associated with this outlet and last fall, two of them were sentenced to five and six years’ imprisonment on charges of calling for mass riots – an act of clear retaliation for their independent reporting. Numerous other journalists, activists and bloggers have also faced politically motivated criminal cases, arrests, and prosecution.
In addition, independent media organisations have been subjected to increasing pressure. In July 2024, the Supreme Court confirmed the closure of the organisation behind the award-winning Kloop news portal, while Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Kyrgyz service has remained under scrutiny despite the reversal of an earlier court decision to shut it down. President Japarov has also voiced support for the current US administration’s moves to terminate RFE/RLR’s activities. In January 2024, the office of the news agency 24.kg was closed for more than two months during a spurious criminal investigation, which was eventually closed. The websites of various independent news sites have been arbitrarily blocked, creating a chilling effect on free expression throughout the country.