Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan on Friday demanded an eight-year prison term for ethnic Russian blogger and journalist Vladimir Farafonov, who has been charged with inciting ethnic hatred through the media.
Farafonov’s trial started on Thursday in Bishkek.
The charges stem from a series of analytical articles Farafonov wrote for the website of Moscow-based foundation Russian Unity and for several regional news websites, according to Ferghana News.
In his articles, the journalist criticized Kyrgyz politics and the spread of nationalism in the Kyrgyz-language media, commented on the potential impact of the October 2011 presidential vote in Kyrgyzstan on the lives of ethnic minorities, including Russians.
Farafonov denied the accusations and called the charges against him “politically motivated.” At a February 22 press conference in Bishkek, Farafonov said Kyrgyzstan's security service had threatened to imprison him for up to 48 years or give him a maximum sentence for each of the 16 articles the investigators deemed extremist, local press reported.
The Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences has reviewed the journalist's articles. The indictment was based on their expert review, news reports said.
In late February, the UN Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Kyrgyz authorities to drop the extremism charges against Farafonov.
