Interpol rejected a request from Kyrgyzstan to issue an international “Red Notice” warrant for the exiled co-founder of independent media outlet Kloop, calling the request politically motivated, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported on October 31.

In a report on Kyrgyzstan’s pursuit of Rinat Tuhvatshin, the media outlet quoted Interpol’s director of communications Samuel Heath as saying: “Interpol’s constitution has strict rules preventing our system from being used for political purposes, and so we have declined the Red Notice request.”

On October 28, Kyrgyzstan banned Kloop and two other independent media outlets also focused on corruption reporting, Temirov Live and AitAit Dese (“Voice of the People”), as “extremist organisations”. It was an unprecedented move for the country of 7.3mn that only a few years ago was still widely regarded as something of an “island” of democratic freedoms in Central Asia, boasting a celebrated vibrant press.

A Red Notice stipulates that authorities in an Interpol member country should arrest the wanted person for possible extradition.

Kyrgyzstan’s populist-nationalist President Sadyr Japarov has increasingly tightened the screw on independent media since taking office five years ago.

Officials even argued in a Bishkek court hearing that certain Kloop coverage of corruption and other irregularities “affected people’s mental health”, upsetting them with “negative information.”

“I’m very sad that the Kyrgyz authorities have decided to abuse the Interpol system. I fear this will harm the reputation of our country,” Tuhvatshin, who has been living in exile abroad since the Japarov crackdown on journalists in Kyrgyzstan intensified, was quoted as saying by OCCRP.

“This system was created to locate dangerous criminals around the world, but our authorities have chosen to use it to persecute journalists — me, in this case. I’m not afraid because I’ve done nothing wrong and broken no laws. I believe that I will be fine. But it’s a shame for the country,” he added.

Under a court decision, prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan have argued that Kloop, Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese have showed “criminal communicative intent aimed at overthrowing the current government”.

“Kyrgyzstan has showed over and over again it will stop at nothing in its persecution of independent journalists," said OCCRP editor-in-chief Miranda Patrucic. "Reporters abroad and home are being targeted and facing arrest. This latest incident is a serious warning that no one is safe."