A petition for freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan has appeared on Change.org website. It was created by representatives of local media, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, international human rights organizations.
The authors note an unprecedented wave of pressure on freedom of speech from the authorities of Kyrgyzstan. Laws are being passed against the media, illegal detentions are taking place, criminal cases are being fabricated, unlawful court decisions are made, websites are blocked, threats and cyberbullying are voiced.
«A number of journalists, bloggers, civil activists who defend the right to freedom of speech, access to information and pluralism of opinions have been subjected to political persecution. Criminal cases have been initiated and fabricated against them, many have been arrested, and courts have issued unlawful decisions. Methods are used to intimidate independent journalists, rallies are organized at which open threats are made to crack down on the media and set fire to their offices. Cyberbullying is organized on the social media against independent media with the help of specially hired fake factories using open hate speech,» the petition says.
The authors appealed to international and intergovernmental organizations that protect the rights and activities of journalists, the UN Committee on Human Rights, the Council of Europe, the OSCE with a call to help preserve the right to freedom of speech and pluralism of opinions in Kyrgyzstan, the right of society and the media to receive and disseminate information.
«We express the hope that our joint actions will help stop pressure on freedom of speech, stop political persecution, threats and arrests of journalists and activists, that draconian bills will be withdrawn, all prisoners of conscience will be released,» authors of the petition stressed.
