Alarm sounded over critical condition of Kyrgyzstan's civil society by Amnesty
Hey there!
Activists from Amnesty International have issued a warning about the worsening state of civil society in Kyrgyzstan, previously seen as a democratic light in the region. The government doesn't seem to be letting up on its efforts to silence critics.
In a statement published recently, Amnesty International highlighted the increasing targeting of journalists and activists with arbitrary detentions and smear campaigns on social media. Additionally, the authorities have been manipulating compliant lawmakers to draft legislation that undermines the rule of law and infringes upon freedom of expression, the group said.
The future of civil society in Kyrgyzstan hangs in the balance, with alarming legislative initiatives ongoing and historic. One such proposal is the so-called "foreign representatives" law. This bill, if passed as it stands, demands that any organizations receiving foreign funding for political activities register as "foreign representatives." Those failing to do so within a six-month window may face closure. Critics argue that the oversight rules will be burdensome, and the costs of complying with these requirements could be too much for smaller organizations.
Amnesty International believes that the bill, as currently written, could do extensive damage. The bill's vague and ambiguous language gives the authorities excessive discretionary powers to target NGOs for carrying out legitimate work, including advocacy on a wide range of human rights issues.
Another piece of legislation that has caused a chill is the false information law that President Sadyr Japarov approved in August 2021. The sponsor of the legislation, MP Gulshat Asylbayeva, aims to combat false social media profiles and troll operations spreading misleading information to undermine political figures in Kyrgyzstan. However, the law's implementation has been used to silence journalists, as demonstrated by the Culture Ministry's order to block independent news website, Kloop, following a report alleging mistreatment of a jailed opposition politician.
Amnesty International urged the Kyrgyz authorities to halt the harassment and intimidation of journalists and government critics, fully respect, protect, and fulfill the right to freedom of expression for all media in Kyrgyzstan, and disseminate reliable, accessible, evidence-based, and trustworthy information to counter false and misleading information and build trust among the population in the integrity and reliability of the journalistic environment.
According to Freedom in the World report, Kyrgyzstan’s score for freedom of expression and belief has declined, reflecting heightened harassment and prosecution of critics under recent laws and practices. Kyrgyzstan's global freedom score is now 26 out of 100, classified as "not free," with internet freedom rated as "partly free" at 48 out of 100 [1]. The country's press freedom ranking has fallen to 144th out of 180 countries, resulting in a 24-place drop from the previous year and placing it below neighboring Kazakhstan and just above Uzbekistan [2].
- The concern over Kyrgyzstan's deteriorating health of democracy extends to its general-news landscape, as evidenced by the decline in its freedom of expression and belief score, according to the Freedom in the World report.
- Amnesty International called for urgent attention to the state of environmental issues in Kyrgyzstan, raising concerns that the non-transparent and vague language of recently passed legislation, such as the false information law, could be exploited to silence journalists reporting on critical environmental matters.
- The worsening culture of politics and suppression of free speech in Kyrgyzstan has raised eyebrows in global health and social development circles, with the World Health Organization and other international organizations expressing concerns over the impact of these developments on the health and well-being of citizens, particularly marginalized groups.
