Journalists imprisoned in Kyrgyzstan
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 97 18:17:37 -0500
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Journalists imprisoned in Kyrgyzstan
From: MINELRES moderator \ Internet: ([email protected])
Original sender: Natalia Ablova \ Internet: (rights@imfiko.
bishkek.su)
FEMALE CHIEF-EDITOR OF THE MAIN OPPOSITION PAPER IMPRISONED IN
KYRGYZSTAN
On 23 May 1997 the criminal libel trial of the four journalists of the
opposition weekly "Res Publica" (Zamira Sydykova, Aleksandr Alyantchikov,
Marina Sivasheva and Bektash Shamshiev) ended up with imprisoning of Z.
Sydykova and A.Alyantchikov. They were charged with defamation in printed
and with insult of Dastan Sarygulov, chief manager of the government owned
gold-mining company "Kyrgyzaltyn".
Judge Anarbek Kyrgyzbaev of Bishkek`s Pervomaysky District Court issued the
verdict sentencing Z.Sydykovf to 18 months of colony-prison, A.Alyantchikov
- to 18 months of colony. Both journalists were brought to prison by 5
military guards and by 14 policemen. M.Sivasheva and B.Shamshiev were fined
(150 som each). All four journalists are to be barred from professional
activities (Article 27 of the Criminal Code) for the period of 18 months. In
addition, each journalist will have to pay 2,000 som ($112) of compensation
for moral damage.
During the trial which lasted 12 days (since 12 May) numerous requests by
the defence councel to test the defence witnesses had been rejected, they
were not allowed to appear in court. The requests were well-grounded as the
case files had disappered (or had been stolen) together with other files
during the interrogation and the interrogator Rysbek Nagaev had to rewrite
them relying on his own memory, thus making inevitable errors.
According to Sagyn Omuraliev, legal adviser of the "Kyrgyzaltyn", one week
before the trial Dastan Sarygulov flatly refused to reach a friendly
settlement with "Res Publica".
At the beginning of May 1997 the Parliament of the Kyrgyzstan adopted (in
first reading) the Criminal Code which does not comprise prison terms for
defamation. Judges are usually advised to take into
consideration the general trends of the forthcoming legal reform in order to
avoid too severe (or too codes, mild) punishments from the current codes,
inconsistent with new constitutional provisions and
with democratic standards of the international community. This practice did
not prove to be in use during "Res Publica" trial.
We urge all our colleauges from the human rights organizations and
journalists associations to demand immediate release for Zamira Sydykova and
Aleksandr Alyantchikov, to protect against judicial harrassment of other
"Res Publica" journalists.
Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law
23 May 1997
--
============================================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central & Eastern
Europe
Submissions: [email protected] Subscription/inquiries: minelres@mailbox.
riga.lv
============================================================================