Safety of journalists has been under threat again since the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan. During the coverage of the election process on October 4, representatives of several domestic media outlets announced the attacks. There were cases when law enforcement officers obstructed journalistic activities and could not allow correspondents to enter a certain polling station.
But that’s not all. On October 5, after a peaceful rally on Ala-Too Square, during the clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers, journalists also got it. Some were taken away their phones, stones were thrown at the others, and some journalists were shot at. Up to this day, the relevant authorities have not responded to these facts, only international organizations have expressed concern over the current situation.
However, the threats towards the media did not stop there. Almost every day, protesting supporters of Sadyr Japarov stated that the correspondents were writing false information, threatened to come to some editorial offices and organize pogroms, and divided the media representatives by ethnicity.
In total, 20 facts of attacks on journalists were registered during the riots. All this went unnoticed by law enforcement agencies.
The media sphere continues to advocate for a dialogue between the media and the authorities. According to experts, the effectiveness of media interaction with the government depends on the level of political culture of its carriers, and the lower the level, the higher are the risks of suppression. It is not yet clear whether the current government is ready to be open, not to interfere with the activities of correspondents, not to stifle freedom of speech in the country: all officials, starting with acting President, keep deathly silence.
