The National Commission on State Language of Kyrgyzstan proposes to introduce fines for violation of the Constitutional Law «On State Language». The corresponding draft law was submitted for public discussion.
As the background statement says, according to the Constitutional Law «On State Language», there is a list of persons who are obliged to know the state language and use it in the performance of their official duties. They must speak the Kyrgyz language to the extent necessary to perform their official duties, as well as be able to establish communication in everyday life, socio-cultural, educational and professional spheres.
The National Commission proposes to introduce a norm on the indicators of the level of language proficiency of officials and citizens. Namely, the level of knowledge of the state language necessary for the performance of official duties should be not lower than the average level (B2) for persons whose native language is Kyrgyz, and not lower than the basic level (A2) for representatives of ethnic groups living in Kyrgyzstan. For foreign citizens residing in the republic or intending to obtain immigrant status, it should be at the elementary level (A1).
In parallel, it is proposed to introduce a new article into the Code of Offences, according to which violation and failure to comply with the requirements of the language legislation entails a fine in the amount of 50 calculated rates (5,000 soms) for individuals and 170 calculated rates (17,000 soms) for legal entities. And for violation and non-compliance with the requirements of the legislation on language in the work of state and municipal bodies, organizations and institutions of all forms of ownership, officials can be fined 170 calculated rates (17,000 soms).
In addition, the National Commission proposes to increase fines for texts in advertising and other visual information that do not comply with the standards of the literary Kyrgyz language. Now, in case of violation, the advertiser is first warned; if he or she does not correct the content within a month, they will be fined: 1,000 soms for an individual and 5,000 soms for a legal entity. The ministry proposes to increase the amount to 5,000 and 17,000 soms, respectively.
«The development and full functioning of the state language can only be realized if the laws regulating the language are compatible with each other,» the National Commission added.
