The international organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the actions of Kyrgyzstan’s authorities against Kloop media outlet. This is stated on the CPJ website.
Human rights activists are concerned that the Ministry of Culture, Information, Youth Policy and Sports demanded from Kloop to remove the article about the Community Development and Investment Agency (ARIS), otherwise its website will be blocked.
«Kyrgyzstan authorities’ attempt to censor Kloop, one of the country’s most respected news outlets, once again shows the absurdity and arbitrariness of its false information law, which should never have been enacted,» said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. «Authorities should withdraw their threat to block Kloop’s website, repeal the false information law, and cease their escalating repression of the independent press.»
The Ministry of Culture claims that the article «ARIS denied overestimation of the cost of social facilities, which Orunbekov previously stated» contains «inaccurate (false) information.» The ministry decided that the information should be immediately removed from the website.
In case of non-execution of the decision to remove inaccurate information on the kloop.kg website by the owner of the resource within the specified time frame, the ministry will make a decision to suspend the operation of kloop.kg website for up to two months.
From a letter of the Ministry of Culture to Kloop
«The complaint against Kloop was filed with the Ministry of Culture by ARIS (Community Development and Investment Agency,» the editorial office clarified. The media stressed that they would not remove the article.
