The Ministry of Internal Affairs and State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (SCNS) promised to amend the anti-extremism law by removing some controversial provisions. Nurbek Sydykov, a lawyer at Media Policy Institute, said at a roundtable discussion.
According to him, the amendments proposed by the Interior Ministry do not take into account the rights and legitimate interests of citizens. Some articles and norms are illogical and unclear. The analysis showed that the draft initially needs to clearly define the concepts of «extremism», «extremist activity», «extremist ideology» and only then to determine one or another mechanisms of human rights restrictions.
The document also has legal uncertainties that can be interpreted in different ways, which in turn can lead to the violation of human rights.
Media experts remind: only courts and only on the basis of expert opinion can make an assessment of a publication, whether it contains extremism manifestations or not. Investigators have no authority to make an assessment, nor can they dictate to remove a disputed article or information within three days.
Lawyer Erzhan Kaiypov stressed that no restrictions on freedom of speech are acceptable and criticism of the authorities cannot and should not pressure media outlets or interfere with journalists’ work. Otherwise it could be regarded as a violation of Kyrgyzstan’s international commitments.
