The President of Kyrgyzstan decided on the Law on Manipulating Information. Sooronbai Jeenbekov returned the document for revision and explained why he made such a decision in an interview with Birinchi radio.
The head of state noted that he followed the discussion of the bill both in Parliament and outside it, on social media.
«There are both supporters of the project and its opponents. My common position is that such a law is needed in our country. This is necessary, first of all, to protect human rights and health, which we are all talking about. We need to protect people from slander, negativity and so-called fake information,» he said.
Sooronbai Jeenbekov suggested paying attention to world practice: a number of states are also fighting against fakes and adopt laws, a similar issue is raised in developed countries.
«It should be in our country, too. I would like to note the work of deputies Gulshat Asylbaeva, Ainura Osmonova, other deputies, headed by the Speaker of Parliament, who initiated this bill without fear of criticism from civil society and the media. During discussion of the law, we all became convinced that there is a problem in our society associated with fake information. We saw that the law was needed when there were debates inside and outside the walls of the Parliament. Amid the pandemic, unfortunately, it was not possible to organize a broad discussion. Another question is how large-scale this bill was discussed, how mature it is and how it meets the dictates of the time,» he said.
According to the head of the Kyrgyz Republic, in general, he supports the basic philosophy of the law — the need to combat fake information.
I have received many appeals. As I mentioned above, there are two parties, one of which is asking me to sign the law, and the other is asking me to veto it. I have read the arguments of both sides. In short, we need such a document. But it still needs to be worked on.
Sooronbai Jeenbekov
He stated that he intends, relying on his constitutional right, to return this law for revision. «I propose to revise it with participation of representatives of the media sphere, deputies, employees of my administration, relevant ministries,» the president said.
I would especially like to stress that we need a document that does not restrict freedom of speech, but allows us to resist fakes and false information.
Sooronbai Jeenbekov
He believes that anyone in Kyrgyzstan can use social media to express their concerns. «There are many such examples in my presidential practice. Thanks to such appeals, some citizens received assistance, some returned to their posts or, on the contrary, were removed from their posts on the basis of appeals. These messages came from our real, not fake, citizens who are not hiding behind fictitious names. There is no danger here,» the head of state said.
«I may not know everything, and this will help us regain citizens’ confidence in the authorities. I support those who speak openly about problems without hiding their faces. At the same time, there should be a law directed against false information that violates the rights of our compatriots, harms their health and insults their honor and dignity. This should become commonplace in a republic like Kyrgyzstan, which respects human rights. We need this document,» Sooronbai Jeenbekov said.
