The Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan submitted a new media law for public discussion. The draft document is posted on a single portal for public discussion of draft regulatory legal acts of the Kyrgyz Republic.
«The purpose and objectives of the draft Law «On the Mass Media» are aimed at implementing the right of every citizen established and guaranteed by the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic to freedom of expression, freedom of speech and the press, receiving and disseminating information, ensuring information security and regulating public relations related to these rights relations, as well as improving legislation in the field of mass media, which will contribute to the creation of independent, responsible and competitive media,» the explanatory note says.
The presidential administration has been trying to change the legislation on the media since November 2022. Since then, the public has been offered five versions of the draft law «On the Media». All of them drew criticism from both the journalistic community, the civil sector and international organizations.
The working group presented the sixth version of the media bill at the end of June 2024.
