Kyrgyzstan took 120th place in the World Press Freedom Index 2024, published by the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The republic was in 122nd place in the last year’s ranking.
As the authors of the index noted, with relative freedom of expression and of the press, the country was an exception in Central Asia despite an unstable economy and rampant official corruption. However, it is now experiencing an upsurge in pressure on the media.
«The government still controls all traditional media and is trying to extend its influence to privately owned outlets. A degree of pluralism exists, as seen in the popularity of news sites such as 24.kg, Kaktus.media and Kloop.kg, as well as the growth of investigative and data journalism. But these outlets are being harassed and, of late, their situation has become critical. Radio and television continue to be the main news sources for most of the population,» the organization stresses.
In general, the authors of the index noted, the situation with media freedom around the world continues to deteriorate rapidly — the number of attacks on journalists is growing, as well as the number of states in which working conditions for media workers are described as «catastrophic.»
«Press freedom is under threat from the very people who are supposed to be its guarantors — the political authorities. Of the five indicators that make up the country’s ranking, it is the political one that drops the most in the 2024 index — by 7.6 points,» the authors of the ranking said.
Norway tops the press freedom ranking for the eighth year in a row. Next come Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Estonia.
Russia takes 162nd place, Belarus — 167th, Uzbekistan — 148th, Tajikistan — 155th, Kazakhstan — 142nd, Turkmenistan — 175th.
The last five lines — from 176th to 180th — are occupied by Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea. Political indicator fell sharply in the last three countries. In Afghanistan, this is due to the Taliban coming to power, in Syria and Eritrea — due to a record number of detained, missing or taken hostage journalists.
