Media Policy Institute calls on the country’s authorities and the police to take personal control of the arson at the Channel Three office in Talas.
Experts believe that the relevant state bodies should ensure prompt, impartial, thorough and independent investigation into the infringement of the activities of the media and bring those responsible to justice.
«The mere fact that an incendiary mixture was thrown into the office of the media indicates that the attackers pursued a specific goal — damage or destruction of the property of the entire television channel. The private media office was attacked, and the task of law enforcement agencies is to quickly identify all the persons involved in this crime,» the mediators say.
The organization noted that this is not the first time when the safety of journalists and the property of private media are endangered.
On the night of March 3, unknown persons broke the iron bars and the front door and entered the office of PolitClinic in Bishkek. They stole recordings of journalists and a hard drive. At the same time, they did not take expensive office equipment (laptops, printers). The media filed a statement to the Department of Internal Affairs of Pervomaisky district. The crime has not yet been solved.
Lack of proper reaction from law enforcement agencies and even inaction undoubtedly contribute to the tacit encouragement of violence against journalists and pressure on the activities of independent media.
The Law of the Kyrgyz Republic on Protection of Professional Activities of a Journalist prohibits threats, violence or attacks on the life, health and property of a journalist in connection with his or her professional activities.
