Kyrgyzstan explains the closure of “Azattyk” websites

The press secretary of the President of Kyrgyzstan accused the Kyrgyz service of Radio Free Europe (Azattyk) of “spreading false information” about events from September 14-17 of this year.

Photo: Internet

On October 28, the press secretary of the President of Kyrgyzstan Erbol Sultanbaev stated on his Facebook page that the Kyrgyz service of Radio Free Europe (Azattyk) is spreading false information about events on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.

“Freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan has been, is, and will be,” writes Sultanbaev, emphasizing that the concept of freedom of speech must always be inextricably linked to the concept of responsibility.

According to him, the only requirement is strict compliance with the current legislation.

“Based on this, the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy, as the authorized state body in the field of information, in accordance with the laws of the Kyrgyz Republic, made the decision to suspend the hosting provider’s operation of the Azattyk Media website for a period of 2 months due to the dissemination of false information about events from September 14-17, 2022, in the Batken region,” the press secretary stated.

On October 26, the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy decided to block the websites of the Kyrgyz service of Radio Free Europe “Azattyk Media” for two months.

The media community of Kyrgyzstan announced a solidarity action and an information campaign against pressure on the press.

On October 28, from 9:00 to 12:00, instead of news, many publications displayed a black banner with the text “No news. There is pressure on the media.”