U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote a letter to the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov. The document, sent on January 17, appeared on the Internet.
The press service of the head of state confirmed to 24.kg news agency that Sadyr Japarov received such a letter.
In the letter, Antony Blinken notes that he is satisfied with the progress achieved in relations between the countries last year. He stressed that he is looking forward to building on the momentum gained at the recent C5+1 Summit to advance the parties’ shared priorities.
«We thank you for your role in making this historic summit a success. Your vibrant civil society has long been the strongest in the region and a key part of democracy in Kyrgyzstan. I am therefore writing to you to express my concerns about the foreign representatives (NGOs) bill of Parliament,» Antony Blinken wrote.
The U.S. Secretary of State believes that if the document is adopted, it will result in civil and criminal penalties for non-governmental organizations.
«This will jeopardize one of your country’s greatest assets. In its current form this law threatens Kyrgyz citizens’ access to vital services such as health care and education through programs run by NGOs with support from the U.S. Government and international partners. Some U.S. implementing partners are so concerned about this law. They are considering the possibility of a preventive termination of their activities in the Kyrgyz Republic,» the letter says.
Antony Blinken recalls that everyone has seen the consequences of the adoption of similar laws in other states.
If this law is adopted in its current form, civil society organizations may provide few services to citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic.
«We support your vision of a stronger and more prosperous Kyrgyz Republic. We are concerned that this legislation will reduce international support for programs that support your economic, health, and clean energy priorities. I urge you to weigh these concerns and discuss them with parliamentary leaders. I hope that we can continue to enhance the bilateral relationship between the United States and Kyrgyzstan,» Antony Blinken concluded.
The foreign agents law was adopted by the committee in the second reading. The initiator of the amendments, Nadira Narmatova, proposes to introduce Article 200-1 «Creation of a non-profit organization that infringes on the personality and rights of citizens» into the Criminal Code. Violation of this article is punishable by a fine from 50,000 to 100,000 soms or imprisonment for up to five years. A fine from 100,000 to 200,000 soms or imprisonment of up to 10 years is proposed to be imposed for an active participation in the activities of such associations and propaganda of the actions of such organizations. The Supreme Court and the Prosecutor General’s Office opposed the initiative, as well as the Ombudsman. Now these terms have been reduced to three and five years in prison.
A number of international organizations opposed this initiative.
