; Whereas, the Government of Tajikistan continued its systematic repression of the free press in 2022 and 23 by sentencing 7 journalists to lengthy prison terms on spurious charges in secretive, closed-door trials held in detention centers amid allegations of torture and forced confessions, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, including— (1) Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, a 67-year-old ethnic Pamiri journalist and human rights defender, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison; and (2) journalists Daler Imomali, Abdullo Ghurbati, Zavqibek Saidamini, and Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, who were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 7 to 10 years on spurious charges of extremism; Whereas the Government of Kyrgyzstan, since the beginning of 2022, has taken worrying steps to dismantle the country’s previously vibrant press environment, including by— (1) detaining 11 current and former staff of the investigative reporting outlet Temirov Live, who have reported on corruption allegations among high-level government officials, since January 2024, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists; (2) imposing spurious charges of illegal drug manufacture on Krygyzstan-born investigative journalist Bolot Temirov and deporting him to the Russian Federation in retaliation for his reporting on corruption in the government’s procurement processes, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists; (3) shuttering and blocking investigative outlet Kloop, which is known for its reporting on high-level government corruption, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists; (4) enacting the so-called Foreign Representatives legislation, which will establish extensive state control over externally-funded press freedom groups and nongovernmental organizations that run prominent news sites; and (5) raiding independent news agency 24.kg on fabricated charges, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists