05.03.2009 : Journalist narrowly survives after being stabbed 21 times

Reporters Without Borders condemns an attack of unprecedented violence on journalist Syrgak Abdyldaev of the independent weekly Reporter Bishkek yesterday evening in the street outside the newspaper’s office in Bishkek. As he was leaving, four men got out of a car and stabbed him 21 times. They also broke both of his hands, his forearms and ribs.
 
He was rushed to a hospital intensive care unit where, despite losing a lot of blood, his condition is now stable. He is expected to undergo two major operations in the next few days.
 
“The attack on Abdyldaev is appalling and confirms the climate of extreme hostility towards the press that prevails in Kyrgyzstan,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The authorities say they are investigating, but that is not enough. We insist that everything possible is done to shed light on this serious assault. Those responsible must be tried and punished.”
 
Reporter Bishkek is one of the few independent Kyrgyz newspapers publishing reports and editorials critical of the government. Its latest issue, published on 27 February, had two articles on the country’s political and economic situation. One of them, co-authored by the editor, referred to the possibility that President Kurmanbek Bakiyev could win another term in elections expected to be held in the autumn.
 
Kyrgyzstan was ranked 111th out of 173 countries in the latest Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Eighteen months after independent journalist Alisher Sayipov, the publisher of the newspaper Sayasat, was gunned down in the southern city of Osh in October 2007, neither the perpetrators nor the instigators of his murder have been identified.

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Mercredi 4 mars 2009

Kirghizstan

 
Un journaliste survit apres une vingtaine de coups de poignard

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=30479

  Le 3 mars 2009, Syrgak Abdyldaev, journaliste de l’hebdomadaire independant Reporter Bishkek, a ete sauvagement poignarde a plus de vingt reprises par quatre inconnus. Le journaliste, qui quittait les locaux de sa redaction a Bichkek, a subi des sevices d’une violence inouie.

 
"L’agression de Syrgak Abdyldaev est revoltante. Cette attaque confirme le climat d’hostilite extreme envers la presse au Kirghizstan. Les autorites ont annonce l’ouverture d’une enquete, mais cela n’est pas suffisant. Nous exigeons des autorites que toute la lumiere soit faite sur cette affaire. Les agresseurs doivent etre juges et condamnes pour cette grave agression", a declare Reporters sans frontieres.
 
Alors que Syrgak Abdyldaev quittait les locaux de Reporter Bishkek, en debut de soiree, quatre inconnus sont descendus soudainement d’un vehicule. Apres avoir attrape le journaliste, les agresseurs l’ont poignarde a vingt et une reprises, lui ont casse les deux mains, brise des cotes et fracture les avant-bras, en pleine rue. Il a ete admis d’urgence a l’hopital en soins intensifs, apres avoir perdu une quantite importante de sang. Pour l’heure, son etat de sante semble s’etre stabilise, mais Syrgak Abdyldaev devra subir, dans les jours prochains, deux lourdes operations chirurgicales.
 
Reporter Bishkek est l’un des rares journaux independants kirghiz qui publient des reportages et des articles critiques envers le gouvernement. Dans son edition du 27 fevrier 2009, l’hebdomadaire avait publie deux articles sur la situation economique et politique du pays. L’un d’eux, cosigne par le redacteur en chef de Reporter Bishkek, evoquait une eventuelle reelection de l’actuel president kirghiz, Kourmanbek Bakiev, lors d’elections anticipees probablement tenues a l’automne prochain.
 
Le Kirghizstan occupe la 111e place du classement mondial de la liberte de la presse etabli par Reporters sans frontieres. En octobre 2007, Alisher Sayipov, journaliste independant et fondateur du journal Sayasat, a ete assassine par balles, en pleine rue. Dix- huit mois apres sa mort, ni les auteurs ni les commanditaires du crime n’ont ete identifies.





Elsa Vidal
Bureau Europe & Ex-URSS
Reporters sans frontieres
Secretariat International
47 rue Vivienne
75002 Paris
Tel. : 01 44 83 84 67
Fax : 01 45 23 11 51
Identifiant Skype : europarsf