Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the U.S. Embassy Sonata Coulter, speaking today at a roundtable, where participants discussed situation with freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan, said that free media made the state stronger.
According to her, the attempt to restrict independent media causes concern.
Sonata Coulter appreciated the professionalism of Kyrgyz journalists. She noted that during the armed conflict on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in Batken region on September 14-17, it was the mass media of the republic that informed the world community about what had happened and won the information war.
UN Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan Antje Grawe noted that any tightening regarding freedom of speech or its minimization was unacceptable. She reminded the authorities of the Kyrgyz Republic that the country has been positioning itself in the international arena as a democratic state and therefore must comply with international obligations.
