BISHKEK -- Two courts in Bishkek have postponed preliminary hearings into RFE/RL's appeals against the blocking of its sites and the freezing of its bank account in Kyrgyzstan.
The Bishkek Administrative Court ruled on February 17 to move the hearing to March 2, saying its secretariat must first find out from the Kyrgyz Justice Ministry the legal status of Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
Current Time's video about deadly clashes along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border last fall was cited by the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policies in October when the websites of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, were blocked.
The ministry has said the authors of the video "predominantly" took the position of the Tajik side.
In response, President and CEO Jamie Fly said that RFE/RL "takes our commitment to balanced reporting seriously" and that after a review of the content in question, "no violation of our standards" was found.
Another court in Bishkek, the Birinchi Mai district court, ruled to move to February 21 the preliminary hearing into RFE/RL's appeal against the actions of Interior Ministry investigator Ulan Japekov that led to the freezing of RFE/RL's bank account in November. The ruling came after Japekov did not show up at the hearing on February 17.
Kyrgyz authorities have said the decision to block Radio Azattyk’s websites was based on the Law on Protection from False Information, legislation that drew widespread criticism when it was adopted in August 2021.
After Radio Azattyk's bank account in Bishkek was frozen in November, Kyrgyz authorities suspended the accreditations of 11 RFE/RL correspondents at the parliament.
Last week, Fly met with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek as part of his efforts to have Radio Azattyk's websites unblocked.
Dozens of media organizations, domestic and international rights groups, Kyrgyz politicians, and lawmakers have urged the government to unblock Radio Azattyk’s websites.
In early February, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the Kyrgyz authorities’ move to seek Radio Azattyk’s closure, saying the case poses “a major new obstacle to press freedom,” which it said is “under growing pressure” in Kyrgyzstan.