The new Constitution of Kyrgyzstan has no norm that provides the right to freely receive information about the activities of state bodies. Members of the constitutional convention stated at a meeting of the section «Rights, freedoms and duties of person and citizen.»
«This is a very important article that affects freedom of speech. Therefore, Article 33 of the current version should be included in the new draft of the Basic Law as a separate norm,» chairman of the section Nurlan Sheripov said.
Representatives of the constitutional convention unanimously supported inclusion of Article 33 of the second chapter «Human Rights and Freedoms» from the current Basic Law into the new version:
1. Everyone has the right to freely seek, receive, store, use information and distribute it orally, in writing or in any other way.
2. Everyone has the right to familiarize himself with information about himself at state authorities, local self-government bodies, institutions and organizations.
3. Everyone has the right to receive information about the activities of government bodies, local government bodies and their officials, legal entities with the participation of government bodies and local government bodies, as well as organizations financed from the republican and local budgets.
4. Everyone is guaranteed access to information held by state bodies, local government bodies and their officials. The procedure for providing information is determined by law.
5. No one may be subject to criminal punishment for dissemination of information that discredits or degrades the honor and dignity of a person.
Working groups and a secretariat have been established for an effective work of the constitutional convention. The members of the convention work in three sections «Fundamentals of the constitutional system», «Rights, freedoms and duties of person and citizen» and «State Authorities».
The new draft of the Constitution was submitted for public discussion on the official website of the Parliament.