OSCE Urges Kyrgyz Authorities To 'Review Worrying' Law On 'Foreign Representatives'

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has urged Kyrgyz authorities to revise a draft law on so-called "foreign representatives," saying a decision by lawmakers to move toward its adoption will pose "significant risks" to media freedom and open debate on issues of public interest in the Central Asian nation.

"Protecting freedom of association and other human rights is fundamental to every democracy," Matteo Mecacci, the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, said in a statement on February 7.

"If this legislation is adopted, I am worried it would have an overwhelmingly negative impact on civil society, human rights defenders, and the media in Kyrgyzstan."

Last month, the Kyrgyz parliament's committee for constitutional laws approved the draft law that would allow authorities to register organizations as "foreign representatives" in a style that critics say mirrors repressive Russian legislation on "foreign agents." It was to be further discussed on February 7, but debate was postponed for unknown reasons.

Dozens of nongovernmental organizations in Kyrgyzstan have called on lawmakers to reject the bill, insisting that it merely substitutes the term "foreign representative" for "foreign agent" and would have a similarly chilling effect on their work. Russian authorities have used the law on "foreign agents" to discredit those labeled as such and to stifle dissent.

According to the draft law, noncommercial organizations and media outlets that receive foreign funding and are engaged in broadly defined "political" activities will be obliged to report about their activities to the authorities. The legislation under discussion will also introduce wide oversight powers by the authorities and potential criminal sanctions for undefined criminal offences.

"The introduction in this draft law of burdensome reporting requirements is likely to prove unsustainable for small and medium-sized media organizations and will pose significant risks to media freedom and open debate on issues of public interest in Kyrgyzstan," OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro said.

"It is especially concerning that the amendments in question aim at introducing nearly total government control over the right to free expression of civil society and media actors."