Rally with demand to shut down Kloop, Azattyk and Kaktus held in Bishkek

A rally is taking place near the building where the office of Radio Azattyk is located in Bishkek. About 20 people gathered for the protest.

The protesters demand to close three media outlets: Kloop, Azattyk and Kaktus.media and adopt a law on foreign agents.

When the journalist tried to photograph the protesters, they started hiding their faces.

«Covering of armed conflicts requires caution. Azattyk shows the latest events one-sidedly and does not comply with the standards of journalism. Kyrgyzstan is shown not in the best light. Therefore, they must leave the country,» one of the rally participants said.

The protest is coordinated by a provocative blogger and activist Ilimbek Israilov. He noted that these media «promote Western culture in the country.»

MP Dastan Bekeshev posted on Twitter on Wednesday that his colleague Nadira Narmatova was collecting signatures under some appeal to the president with a request to shut down a number of media outlets. In particular, according to him, she demands to close Kloop, Azattyk and Kaktus.media.

Nadira Narmatova herself denied this initiative.