Kyrgyz Blogger Ordered Into 60 Days Of Pretrial Detention Over Post On Mining Project

Yryskeldi Jekshenaliev in court in Bishkek on August 16.

BISHKEK -- A Kyrgyz blogger has been sent into pretrial detention on a charge of making public calls for mass disorder and violence after he posted online materials questioning the legality of the government's plans to develop iron-ore mining in the Central Asian nation's Jetim-Too mountain region.

The Birinchi Mai district court ruled on August 16 that 19-year-old Yryskeldi Jekshenaliev must stay in custody for at least two months.

Jekshenaliev was detained on August 14 after investigators questioned him regarding his post on a Facebook account called Polit Uznik (Political Prisoner).

Earlier in the day, the Bishkek-based Media Police journalists right group called on the Kyrgyz authorities to drop all charges against Jekshenaliev and release him, saying the case against the blogger was launched for his views, which are critical of the government.

The Interior Ministry said earlier that Jekshenaliev was detained because "recently, many disputes appear regarding the development of iron-ore mines at Jetim-Too," adding that the Polit Uznik account in Facebook distributes "controversial, false information."

Polit Uznik posted a handwritten statement Jekshenaliev wrote while in custody in which he calls the case again him "100 percent politically motivated."

Polit Uznik also said the post in question was an old video in which a former security chief raises environmental issues when talking about the government’s plans to develop the project.

On August 14, President Sadyr Japarov condemned unspecified "defenders" of the environment in the region, calling them "false patriots and liars."

Japarov, who initiated the project to develop iron-ore mining in Jetim-Too, called on law enforcement "to work" with such persons. He did not elaborate.