Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Kyrgyz authorities to stop "harassing" independent media after a spate of criminal cases against journalists.
"The Kyrgyz authorities say they protect freedom of expression, yet try to silence critical voices and clamp down on independent media through criminal investigations and bogus charges. The authorities should release Taalaibek Duishenbiev and drop all unfounded charges against him and other media targets that violate the right to freedom of expression," HRW Central Asia researcher Syinat Sultanalieva said in a statement on April 1.
The statement noted the arrest of Duishenbiev, the director of the private Next television channel, for rebroadcasting a report by a Ukrainian television channel in which a fugitive former top Kazakh security official suggested the country would send troops to Ukraine to support Russia's military was an exampled of the stepped-up harassment of the media.
In late March, a court in Bishkek labeled Next TV "extremist" following a request by the Prosecutor-General's Office.
"The authorities should release Taalaibek Duishembiev, and drop all unfounded charges against him and other media targets that violate the right to freedom of expression," Sultanalieva said.
HRW said the media crackdown was taking place against the backdrop of other efforts to censor freedom of speech.
Most notably, HRW said a draft decree on false information, signed by President Sadyr Japarov, "paves the way for state-managed censorship and runs counter to Kyrgyzstan's national and international human rights obligations."
The draft decree allows a person alleging that an outlet has published false information to ask the owners of the website or the social-media page to take down the information. If they refuse, the person would be able to ask a yet-to-be-established Communications Regulation and Supervision Service under the Ministry of Digital Development to suspend the website or page for up to two months.
It also says Internet providers must register their clients in a unified identification system and provide officials with full information related to users if a court or a state organ requests such data, and owners of websites and social-network accounts must have their personal data and e-mail addresses open and accessible to everyone.
"Investigative journalism is an important cornerstone of a free and democratic society, and Kyrgyz authorities should immediately stop trying to stifle it, whether through bogus criminal investigations or oppressive laws. They cannot just pay lip service to the importance of freedom of expression but need to demonstrate they are upholding their international human rights obligations," Sultanalieva said.
