«The law is harsh, but it is the law,» spokesman for the President of Kyrgyzstan Erbol Sultanbaev commented on his Facebook page on the blocking of Azattyk website.
He noted that freedom of speech has been and will be in Kyrgyzstan.
«But we must remember that the concept of freedom of speech must always be inextricably linked with the concept of responsibility. To date, there are no restrictions on the functioning of free media in the republic,» the spokesman for the head of state wrote.
The only requirement that applies to all citizens and legal entities without exception is strict compliance with the current legislation.
Erbol Sultanbaev
«Based on this, the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy, as an authorized state body in the field of information in accordance with the laws of the Kyrgyz Republic, decided to suspend the operation of Azattyk Media website by the hosting provider for two months due to the dissemination of false information about the events on 14 −17 September in Batken region. As they say, «the law is harsh, but it is the law,» he added.
The Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan suspended the work of Azattyk Media website for two months on October 26, citing the law on protection from inaccurate (false) information after the media outlet refused to remove a video about the recent border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Lawyers have already noted that the decision was made in violation of the law, it is illegitimate and should be withdrawn. Media experts urge the prosecutor’s office to check the legality of the adoption of this document.
A number of media outlets held a large-scale information campaign against pressure on the media with a single hashtag #kuchchyndykta #silavpravde on October 28. They emphasize that officials use the law on protection against inaccurate (false) information not against fake distributors, but against journalists. Media news feeds were not updated from 9.00 to 12.00, and it was also decided not to publish official press releases of state bodies during the day.
