Fergana.ru news agency reported on 28 August that the Osh branch of the Kyrgyz National Security Committee (GKNB) withdrew its lawsuit against journalist Shahrukh Saipov.

We would remind that today, on 28 August 28, the Osh city court was supposed to reviewthe legal action against independent Uzbek journalist, freelancer of Fergana.ru news agency Shahrukh Saipov accused of libel by the Osh branch of the Kyrgyz National Security Committee (GKNB).

However, on August 27 the Osh City court order to dismiss the suit against journalist Shahrukh Saipov following an application submitted by Asylbek Kozhobekov, the head of the Osh GKNB branch.

We would remind that the legal action against journalist Saipov was related to his article published in May 2014 by Fergana.ru, in which the journalist said that officers from Osh GKNB extorted US $ 500 from Osh residents, whose affiliation with terrorist and extremist organizations was not proven.

In the claim to protect the honor and reputation, the Osh branch of the Kyrgyzstan National Security Committee demanded US $20,000 from the journalist as compensation for ‘moral damages’.

In a recent media interview, Rakhat Sulaymanov, the spokesman for the Kyrgyz National Security Committee, said that they invited Shahrukh Saipov to their department and suggested that “If the journalist recognized that he published false information and if he asked for forgiveness, the case would be closed.”

We would remind that Shahrukh Saipov, a 29-year-old freelance journalist from southern Kyrgyzstan, is a younger brother of Alisher Saipov, the editor of the Uzbek-language newspaper “Siyosat’ (Politics), who was killed in 2007 in the center of Osh. The real killers Saipov have not been found yet. His colleagues and independent observers believe that the murder of Alisher Saipov was ‘an order’ of President Islam Karimov and Kyrgyz special services know the name of the true masterminds and perpetrators of the savage reprisalagainst the brave journalist.

For several years, Alisher Saipov’s younger brother Shahrukh collaborates with such news agencies as Fergana.ru, BBC and others. Prior to that, he published “Digest” and “Student Life” newspapers. In his stories, Shahrukh tries to convey objective information to his readers about human rights violations, particularly human rights of ethnic Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Asad BOIMURODOV