NHC calls on Kyrgyz authorities to stop prosecution of Next TV journalists
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) calls on the Kyrgyz authorities to stop prosecution of Next TV channel and release its director Taalai Duishembiev from custody. The statement was published on the organization’s official website.
Raising criminal charges against media workers in retaliation for legitimate journalistic activities is an unacceptable attack on freedom of the press in Kyrgyzstan.
«We demand that Kyrgyzstani authorities immediately drop the charges, release Duishenbiev, and reverse the closure of Next TV,» Geir Hønneland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, said.
On March 3, the director of Next TV Taalai Duishembiev was detained and placed in the remand prison of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) for two months under Article 330 "Incitement of racial, ethnic, national, religious and inter-regional hatred (discord). According to the investigation, the TV channel, using resources on social media, disseminated false information about the alleged agreement on provision of military assistance by Kyrgyzstan to Russia during a special operation on the territory of Ukraine. The media cited the former head of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan as the source.
The Investigative Journalism Foundation calls to end pressure on the media. The Ombudsman asks the SCNS and the judiciary to respect the freedom of journalists.
