Representatives of the media community and human rights organizations adopted a resolution on the results of the round table, where they discussed the pressure on freedom of speech and the media in Kyrgyzstan.
It says that all the media of Kyrgyzstan turned out to be defenseless against the norms of the Law «On protection against inaccurate (false) information», because these norms:
- Are contrary to the Constitution;
- Do not comply with the Law «On the Basics of Administrative Activities and Administrative Procedures»;
- Impose excessive restrictions that impede the free exchange of information, contrary to the main international legal documents in this area;
- Violate basic legal principles, create the possibility of selective application, can be used as a tool of censorship;
- Allow to block (suspend) operation of a site without any court decision;
- Do not determine the method by which the information is recognized as false / unreliable or not.
Application of this law and its sub-legislative act puts Kyrgyzstan on the brink of losing the independent media and freedom of speech that have become the hallmark of the country since independence.
The participants of the round table call on the Parliament to adopt the amendments proposed by the group of deputies.
Media organizations ask the Cabinet of Ministers to impose a moratorium on the application of Gulshat Asylbayeva’s law for the period of consideration of the initiated changes.
The courts are required to respect the presumption of innocence and the obligation of state bodies to prove the existence of an offense by the plaintiff.
«As part of the performance of supervisory functions, the Prosecutor General’s Office is asked to ensure control over the implementation of the principle of transparency during the investigation of cases against representatives of the media sector. International donor organizations are asked to expand support programs for fact-checking and media literacy projects, president — to ensure strict observance of the norms of the Constitution and laws,» the resolution says.
The applicants ask the interim deputy commission on the issue of violation of the Constitution, human and civil rights and freedoms to include in its conclusion the issue of observing freedom of speech and the rights of the media sector as a separate section.
The Constitutional Court is asked to consider, as soon as possible, the petition of representatives of Adilet Legal Clinic to recognize the norms of the procedure for appealing against the actions of the owner of the site or its page, the removal of inaccurate (false) information and suspension of work of a media outlet as inconsistent with the Basic Law.
