; Whereas, in Azerbaijan, the Government of Ilham Aliyev, who secured a fifth term in an uncompetitive early Presidential election in February 2024, mounted a renewed assault on independent media in recent months by detaining 10 journalists from outlets Abzas Media, Kanal 13 and Toplum TV: Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Mahammad Kekalov, Hafiz Babali, Elnara Gasimova, Nargiz Absalamova, Aziz Orujov, Shamo Eminov, Alasgar Mammadli, and Mushfig Jabbar, constituting a crackdown on journalists that was in part retaliation for their reporting on official corruption; Whereas, in Tajikistan, the Government continued its systematic repression of the free press in 2022 and 2023 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, 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, Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, and Khurshed Fozilov, who were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 7 to 10 years on spurious charges of extremism; Whereas, in Kyrgyzstan, since the start of 2022, the Government 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; (2) imposing spurious charges of illegal drug manufacture on Kyrgyzstan-born investigative journalist Bolot Temirov, founder of Temirov Live, and deporting him to the Russian Federation in retaliation for his reporting on corruption in the Government’s procurement processes; (3) shuttering and blocking investigative outlet Kloop, known for its reporting on high-level government corruption