The prosecutor at a high-profile trial in Bishkek has asked the court to convict and sentence noted Kyrgyz investigative journalist Bolot Temirov to five years in prison on several charges that he and his supporters say are politically motivated.

The prosecutor asked the Sverdlov district court in the Kyrgyz capital on September 21 to find Temirov guilty and sentence him.

Temirov, whose trial started in June, reiterated his innocence.

Temirov and traditional bardic singer Bolot Nazarov, who performed anti-corruption songs on the YouTube channel Temirov LIVE, were arrested in January for allegedly possessing illegal drugs, which the two men say were planted by police.

In April, Bishkek city police filed additional charges against Temirov, accusing him of forgery and illegally crossing the border with Russia.

It said Temirov, who was born and raised in Russia and holds a Russian passport, used forged documents to obtain a Kyrgyz passport in 2008, which he then used to illegally exit and enter Kyrgyzstan.

Temirov has rejected all of the charges, saying they were brought against him after he published the results of his investigation suggesting corruption among top officials of the Central Asian nation.

Kyrgyz authorities have denied that probes against Temirov are politically motivated.

Temirov was among 12 people recognized by the U.S. State Department last year as anti-corruption champions.

On 22 September 2022, Sverdlovsk District Court of Bishkek acquitted human rights defender and journalist Bolot Temirov from charges on drug posession and illegal border crossing. The human rights defender was charged with document fraud, however, due to the expiration of the statute of limitation on this crime, Bolot Temirov will not face any penalty. The state prosecutor accused Bolot Temirov with two counts of documents fraud, one count of illegal border crossing and one count of drug posession and asked for 5 years of prison time. During the hearing, Kyrgyzstani journalists and human rights defenders held a protest near the premises of the Sverdlovsk District Couts of Bishkek, chanting “Freedom to Bolot Temirov.” Bolot Temirov stated that he will appeal the decision.