The Foreign Ministry of Kyrgyzstan was puzzled by a statement of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives regarding suppression of freedom of speech in the republic. The Foreign Affairs Ministry of the country reported.
«We regard this message, which is not true, as an attempt to intervene in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, as well as pressure on the judiciary of the Kyrgyz Republic. In this regard, we strongly recommend the Committee of House of Representatives to select sources of information more carefully, as well as double-check the information received,» the Foreign Ministry said.
We especially note that there are no restrictions on the activities of the media in Kyrgyzstan.
Foreign Ministry of Kyrgyzstan
According to the ministry, the republic has consistently demonstrated an unshakable commitment to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and freedom of speech in accordance with international obligations.
«President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbai Jeenbekov has repeatedly noted that he adhered to the principles of protecting freedom of speech and strengthening civil society as factors that play a key role in the development of the country. This position of the head of state was repeatedly voiced earlier and was reaffirmed in a recent statement by the presidential spokesperson,» the Foreign Ministry stressed.
Earlier, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir expressed concern about the disproportionate damages demanded in a defamation suit against the Kyrgyzstan media organizations Azattyk, Kloop.kg and 24.kg news agency.
The Foreign Ministry accused the OSCE of an attempt to put pressure on the court within lawsuits against the media.
Raiymbek Matraimov and members of his family filed a lawsuit against 24.kg news agency, Kloop and Azattyk after a journalistic investigation into smuggling schemes and transfer of $ 700 million. In total, the family of the former customs officer demands from the journalists 60 million soms. The Sverdlovsky District Court of Bishkek blocked media accounts without notification of the media. After public outcry, the plaintiffs filed a motion to cancel freezing of the accounts, which was granted. A preliminary hearing on the lawsuit will take place on December 19 in the Sverdlovsky District Court of the capital, chaired by a judge Zhyldyz Ibraimova.
