On 29 August 2024, Kloop Media Public Foundation revealed that Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court had upheld a court’s ruling from February this year that ordered the liquidation of the media group. The court’s decision, made in a closed hearing in July, was not disclosed to Kloop until 22 August 2024. The highest court in the country, the Supreme Court’s, ruling cannot be appealed.
The initial case against Kloop Media, filed in August 2023 by the Bishkek (Бишкек) City, Kyrgyzstan Prosecutor’s Office, accused the outlet of failing to register as a mass media organization and engaging in activities beyond the scope of its charter. The prosecutor also allegedly claimed that Kloop’s reporting included calls for violent action and criticism of the Kyrgyz government, which authorities said incited distrust and dissatisfaction among the public.
The allegations were compounded by Kloop’s coverage of conflicts in the southern Batken region (Баткен дубаны) in Kyrgyzstan, which has been a site of clashes with Tajikistan in recent years. Authorities argued that Kloop’s reporting on these conflicts fueled migration from the area, indirectly supporting the interests of Tajikistan.
Despite efforts to challenge the ruling, Kloop’s appeals were dismissed on technical grounds, ultimately resulting in the outlet’s liquidation. Kloop’s website has been blocked since September 2023, and its closure is part of a broader government crackdown on independent journalism.
The closure of Kloop is just one instance in a series of attacks on independent media. SEEMO reported about the cases in the past. In January 2024, Kyrgyz authorities arrested 11 journalists linked to Temirov Live (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpZtteaL03_LrVORzSfxwZg), another investigative outlet, in apparent retaliation for their work. Similarly, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz (https://www.rferl.org/Kyrgyzstan) service faced financial sanctions, including the freezing of its bank accounts and the blocking of its website. Even 24.kg (https://24.kg/), a Kyrgyz news agency, faced a temporary closure while authorities conducted a criminal investigation.
On 4 September 2024 Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Culture instructed Leila Saralaeva (Лейла Саралаева), independent reporter and editor-in-chief of Novye Litsa (New Faces) online media, to remove her investigation from the outlet’s website published on 30 August 2024. The Ministry also warned Radio Azattyk, which had republished Saralaeva’s story, to remove it.
Numerous other independent outlets, bloggers, and journalists have faced increasing harassment through politically motivated arrests, prosecution, and the blocking of their websites. The tightening of media freedoms has triggered concerns from global rights organizations, who warn that legal amendments currently under consideration could further erode freedom of expression.
Kloop is Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) member. A joint team from OCCRP, RFE/RL’s Radio Azattyk, and OCCRP member center Kloop has received the 2019 Tom Renner Award.
All this attacks on media reflects a wider, intensifying crackdown on free speech in Kyrgyzstan. Authorities’ actions have created a climate of fear, effectively chilling dissent and stifling public discourse.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the Kyrgyzstan government’s decision to liquidate Kloop Media, an acclaimed investigative outlet known for its critical reporting. This action, which follows a troubling pattern of media repression in the country, represents a direct attack on press freedom, civil liberties, and the public’s right to access independent information. SEEMO calls on the Kyrgyz authorities to halt their campaign of intimidation and ensure that journalists can operate freely, without fear of persecution, in accordance with international human rights standards.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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