Bektour Iskender and Paul Radu on Investigative Journalism in the Age of Autocracy

Can independent journalism survive in the age of autocracy? Bektour Iskender, co-founder of Kyrgyz news platform Kloop, reflects on the power of international investigative journalism in confronting corruption, autocracy, and neo-imperial ambition with Co-Founder and Head of Innovation at OCCRP Paul Radu.

In Central Asia, exposing the truth comes at a price. Bektour Iskender founded Kloop to train young journalists and uncover what others wouldn’t touch: stolen billions, rigged elections, environmental devastation. His work reached far beyond Kyrgyzstan, revealing corruption networks stretching from Central Asia and the Caucasus to Western capitals.

For this, Kloop was silenced. Iskender went into exile. But the investigations continued. In this programme, Iskender explores how journalists across Central Asia and the Caucasus are building new forms of solidarity. How international reporting networks like OCCRP are mapping corruption across borders. And how cartography itself can become a tool—not of empire, but of resistance.

Programme editor: Kees Foekema

This programme is a part of the Forum on European Culture 2025.

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