Eleri Bitikci urges deputies of Parliament to protect freedom of speech

13:44, 16 декабря 2019, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Baktygul OSMONALIEVA

A well-known Kyrgyz history researcher Eleri Bitikchi (real name Nazikbek Kydyrmyshev) calls on the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan of the sixth convocation to protect freedom of speech. He posted his appeal on Facebook.

As a measure, Eleri Bitikci proposes, on the basis of relevant laws and regulations on the activities, ethics of civil servants, deputies, where public interests are above personal ones, to adopt the resolution of the Parliament «On additional measures to protect freedom of speech» and take appropriate measures to amend the legislative and regulatory framework, which will contain the following two conditions:

• Any employee of the state, regardless of their position (president, prime minister, minister, deputy, official), can file lawsuits against the media in court only with a request to refute published information about him /her;
• A civil servant, regardless of their position (president, prime minister, minister, deputy, official), has the right to demand material compensation for suffered moral damage only after leaving the post — as a citizen. That is, any claim with requirement of material compensation can be filed only after leaving the post, since it concerns a citizen, not the state.

«The Parliament has done a lot for 29 years to strengthen the legal foundations of the democratic state. We hope that you, as deputies, will support the initiative of citizens and take a decision in order to protect freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and international legal acts, and thereby will make your significant contribution to the development of our country on the path to building a legal democratic state,» the author of the initiative noted.

One of the most important components of freedom is freedom of speech. Unfortunately, representatives taking high government and political positions often try to limit it, discrediting state institutions.

Eleri Bitikci

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.