The Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan again rejected Azattyk Media’s application to lift the blocking that the ministry applied to the information resource exactly two months ago, that is, on October 26. Azattyk reports.
According to the law of the ex-deputy Gulshat Asylbayeva on protection against inaccurate (false) information, the website is blocked for not more than two months. But the Ministry of Culture stated that the sanction would last until the resource removed the story about the armed conflict on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in Batken region on September 14-17.
Azattyk notes that the Ministry of Culture decided to block the website without a statement from an individual or legal entity. To this, the department explained that «the ministry was granted the right to analyze and monitor the information space» and «the reason for initiating the administrative procedure without a statement was the response to inaccurate materials.»
Azattyk Media’s request to suspend the blocking was not granted.
On October 27, the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan announced that it had suspended the operation of Radio Azattyk website for two months. The ministry noted that on September 16, the Current Time resource (subordinate structure of Azattyk Media) published a video entitled «Heavy fighting on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan», in which «elements of hate speech, unconfirmed information about the alleged attack by the Kyrgyz side on Tajikistan were used, as well as information that aggravates the situation in society and causes hatred, discrimination and division among citizens when covering events in Batken region.»
In a statement issued the same day, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said the broadcaster had reviewed the content in question and found «no violation of standards.»
