Need to preserve news media and means of public debate during political unrest

Reporters Without Borders appeals to all parties to the current political events (both government and opposition representatives) to act responsibly and to respect the right of their fellow citizens to report and receive news and information, a right that is particularly important at such a key movement for the future of Kyrgyz society. The media must be able satisfy the public’s need for coverage of all the developments that are taking place in Kyrgyzstan. To this end, it is particularly important that radio and TV stations should continue to broadcast normally and that newspapers should continue to be printed. Reporters Without Borders also urges the public and sympathizers of the various political parties to allow journalists to do their work and not treat them as the supporters of one party or another, which is how they have been treated in recent months. The increase in political tension over the past year or so has been accompanied by a steady deterioration in the press freedom situation. Kyrgyzstan was regarded as a haven for the media, compared with neighbouring dictatorships, but physical attacks on journalists have increased in frequency in recent months. There has also been a murder in which the national security services were allegedly involved. Many of the media that carried criticism of the authorities (including allegations of nepotism and corruption) have been closed or ordered to pay fines that threaten their survival. Foreign and online media have also been harassed although in most cases the harassment has been of short duration. The web TV station Stan had to suspend operations when its premises were closed and placed under seal by the financial police after it broadcast a report about the alleged involvement of a member of the intelligence services in journalist Gennady Pavliuk’s murder. Kyrgyzstan was ranked 125th out of 175 countries in the 2009 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Read the country file