Freedom of speech is under threat in Kyrgyzstan. This is stated in the World Report of Human Rights Watch.
As examples of exerting pressure on independent media, human rights activists cited the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy to block the Azattyk website, the criminal case against Next TV director Taalai Duishenbiev, and the deportation of journalist Bolot Temirov.
«Press freedom came under siege with a spate of criminal cases against independent journalists, bloggers, and media. In March, a blanket protest ban was introduced in the central district of Bishkek, which was later expanded to all districts of the capital. The ban was later extended until December. The decision was never made public; it became known after several activists were detained for protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,» the statement says.
HRW also pointed to the violation of the rights of people with disabilities, and the fact that Kyrgyzstan has not fulfilled its obligations. «Although a May 2022 presidential decree increased the monthly social benefit payments to adults and children with disabilities, Kyrgyz authorities have largely ignored their human rights commitments to people with disabilities. A governmental council established to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities failed to meet even once in 2022,» the human rights activists stressed.
They also recalled that a forceful response to protests provokes human rights violations, and violent repression compromises promises of reform.
