Multimillion suits to media – sign of authoritarianism

Multimillion claims to the media are considered as a sign of authoritarianism, expert Azamat Tynaev said today at the round table discussion.

According to him, the filing of multi-million lawsuits in civilized countries is an exceptional case.

When lawsuits are filed in heaps, and the sums go off scale, this is inherent in authoritarian countries and should remain in the past.

Azamat Tynaev

He noted that the suits were filed against the backbone editorial offices in Kyrgyzstan. «The threat to the media is a lack of trust, and we are struggling with it every day. Lies and slander can’t be in our work by definition. It can be concluded that these suits are against all media.  Any of us can turn out to be  in such a situation tomorrow . We shouldn’t be afraid. And that policy, which is conducted through the government-controlled publications, has one goal: to cause panic in society," Azamat Tynaev said.

Recall, the Prosecutor General’s Office filed lawsuits against Azattyk and Zanoza.kg for 26 million soms. SDPK intends to collect 1 million soms from 24.kg news agency.