The authorities blocked Azattyk in Kyrgyzstan. At the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, the website should not work for two months. Thus, officials apply the law on protection against inaccurate (false) information not against fake distributors, but against journalists.
We consider this as pressure from the authorities on the freedom of speech and an encroachment on the profession.
The Ministry of Culture, as a government agency, has allowed the arbitrary blocking of already three independent media outlets without a legal court decision, without any adversarial trials to establish the truth.
In light of the unprecedented pressure on free media in Kyrgyzstan, a large-scale information campaign against pressure on the media will start on October 28 with a single hashtag #kuchchyndykta #silavpravde.
As a sign of protest and solidarity with colleagues, the editorial staff of 24.kg news agency will not update the news feed from 9.00 to 12.00. During the day, our journalists will not publish official press releases from the state bodies.
The Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan, by its decision to block the Azattyk website, grossly violated both the draconian law itself and the Constitution. The illegitimate decision must be urgently withdrawn.
