U.S. Embassy on acquittal of Bolot Temirov: Free press is vital to democracy
The U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan commented on the case against the investigative journalist Bolot Temirov. The comment was published on the official Twitter account of the diplomatic mission.
«We welcome the conclusion of court proceedings against Bolot Temirov. Journalists should never be punished for doing their job. A free press is vital to democracy,» the Embassy noted.
Independent journalists like Temirov should be protected and allowed to work without fear of retaliation.
The Sverdlovsky District Court announced verdict to the journalist on Wednesday. Bolot Temirov was charged with four counts: illegal possession of drugs, illegal crossing of the border, illegal use of a military ID to obtain an ID card, and illegal obtaining of a passport of a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic. The journalist was acquitted of the first two charges, and was found guilty of the rest, but was released from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
