The Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan will develop a new bill «On the Media». The Minister Altynbek Maksutov announced at a meeting with members of the working group.
According to him, the work will be completed within two months, after which the document will be sent to the Presidential Executive Office.
The official noted that he is against making the process of registration of media outlets more difficult and the ministry is ready to work constructively with the working group.
The working group on development of the draft law includes Nurbek Sydykov, a lawyer at the Institute of Media Policy, the founder of Kaktus.media Dina Maslova, an Azattyk employee Kubat Otorbaev, as well as the chief producer of Next TV channel Dmitry Lozhnikov. The group also includes deputy of Parliament Zhanar Akaev and lawyer Akmat Alagushev. It is headed by Deputy Head of the Ministry of Culture Chyngyz Esengul uulu.
At the beginning of March, the President of the country held a closed meeting with the heads of leading media outlets and well-known journalists. Representatives of the media raised, among other things, the issue of the media law. Sadyr Japarov promised to look into it.
On March 13, the presidential spokesperson Askat Alagozov announced that, on instructions from the head of state, the bill on mass media had been withdrawn.
«Following the meeting, having heard information from media representatives, and taking into account the proposals received from them regarding this bill, President Sadyr Japarov instructed to finalize the draft law,» he wrote.
