US journalist deported from Kyrgyzstan after interrogation

Roy Greenslade

An American freelance journalist, Umar Farooq, was deported from Kyrgyzstan after being arrested and interrogated by the country’s security services last week, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Farooq was detained on Wednesday in Osh, southern Kyrgyzstan on suspicion of possessing documents of an extremist nature. He was in the country Kyrgyzstan to investigate ethnic clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz that occurred in 2010.

Those clashes, which led to the flight of many Uzbeks from the region, remain sensitive for the Kyrgyzstan authorities and press inquiries are dissuaded.

The Kyrgyz service of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Farooq was arrested after meeting representatives of the Osh branch of Bir Duino, (One World), a group that documents corruption and human rights violations.

“The detention and expulsion of Umar Farooq underscores that Kyrgyz authorities have no tolerance for independent journalism,” said CPJ’s Nina Ognianova.

“We call on Kyrgyzstan to allow members of the press to report in the country without fear of reprisal and to stop harassing sources”.

Farooq says on his website that he has contributed to newspapers and online outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, the Globe & Mail, Christian Science Monitor, Al-Jazeera English and Salon.com.

Sources: CPJ/Radio Liberty