Illustration by James O’Brien, OCCRP
The authorities have accused Temirov Live, a respected investigative outlet, of inciting mass unrest, and jailed nearly a dozen of its current and former employees. A palpable sense of fear has descended on this country, once known as the freest in the region.
January 16 was Aike Beishekeyeva’s twenty-third birthday — her mother Nazgul Matanayeva said they had planned to go shopping for a cake to share with her colleagues.