Concerns over press freedom

Independent media representatives and international organisations have expressed concern over a decline in press freedom in Kyrgyzstan, once considered an island of democracy in the region, since its independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. "There is no press freedom in Kyrgyzstan," Zamira Sydykova, the editor of the opposition Respublica newspaper told IRIN from the capital, Bishkek. "The judicial system, which is not independent, is responsible for the fact that most of the [independent] newspapers might be closed down in the near future," she said, adding that there were many lawsuits initiated against each independent publication. "We cannot write about corruption and high-ranking officials, because they [state officials] use their power to bankrupt us," she said. Kuban Mambetaliyev, head of a local NGO, Journalists, said that the two articles in the current criminal code on libel and defamation were being used by some elements of the government against the independent media. Mambetaliyev gave an example of an official trying to initiate a lawsuit against a newspaper that had published an article about him six years previously. He said there was no regulation concerning the time limit for bringing a suit to court. His group was advocating the adoption of a legislative norm to prevent officials from initiating lawsuits while in office. "However, we cannot say that press freedom is completely repressed, as in Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan," Mambetaliyev admitted. He said the independent media found a way out by establishing new publications, as was the case with the former Moia Stolitsa and Asaba newspapers. After being closed down the newspaper staff simply reopened under a different name, he said. Mambetaliyev called for the establishment of a powerful media association to effectively defend the interests of journalists, but said the country had made no progress in that direction yet. Meanwhile, Bolot Januzakov, a public relations advisor to President Askar Akayev, rejected these statements. He said there had been no problems in the country regarding press freedom. "Our amended constitution fully guarantees press and mass media freedom," he told IRIN, adding that there were more than 300 publications in the country, of which 90 percent were independent. Januzakov said newspapers could publish any news or articles they wanted. Libel suits by certain people applying to the courts to protect their honour and dignity were quite legal and democratic. "Our president, Askar Akayev, urged parliament to make amendments to the criminal code and abolish the two articles on libel and defamation, but parliament rejected the initiative," Januzakov said, adding that he personally preferred their abolition. Abdil Segizbayev, the president's press-secretary, told IRIN that everyone was free to express whatever he or she wanted. "If we evaluate the current situation objectively I cannot see any pressure on the mass media in Kyrgyzstan." Different opinions on the issue demonstrated the transparency of the press in the country, he said. He described the lawsuits against the independent media as signs of democracy in the country. "The increasing awareness that people can dispute what is published in the press, that they can express their opinions, is reflected in the growth of lawsuits against the media," he said. Segizbayev said that nobody talked about the number of suits against government supported newspapers, although he stressed the importance of developing solid mechanisms to prevent huge numbers of suits against the media. Not everyone was that optimistic. Nicolas Ebnother, head of Internews Kyrgyz Republic, an NGO supporting the independent media, expressed concern over press freedom in the country. "It is slowly but seriously worsening," he told IRIN. "There is a stronger pressure on independent media in the country." Ebnother said neither the government nor the president wanted to be criticised. Although the authorities talked about democracy and human rights, they didn't allow independent media to work freely, he said. The fact that huge amounts of compensation were demanded in lawsuits demonstrated the desire to close down independent media outlets, Ebnother said. "You can ask for US $1 in compensation if you want. You don't need to ask huge amounts of money to ruin a media outlet," he said. Demanding that a newspaper publish an apology would be sufficient. "Some articles in newspapers are not well written," he said, however. His organisation was working to train journalists to write in an objective and neutral way. He urged the authorities not to put pressure on the media and to let them work in peace. Freedom House, a Washington-based advocacy group promoting worldwide expansion of political and economic freedoms, has also noted the decline in press freedom in the country. "Definitely, the situation for the press in Kyrgyzstan has declined over the past year and it's got worse in the beginning of 2003," Karin Karlekar, a senior researcher for Freedom House, told IRIN. She said the group rated the country's press as "not free" in its last survey. On the issue of libel, Karlekar said that journalists in many countries were unaware of what constituted libel, so the only solution was to provide training and guidance, rather than initiating lawsuits and imposing huge fines. The executive director of Freedom House, Jennifer Windsor, visited Kyrgyzstan in June and called on the government to stop putting pressure on the press. The group is also running a programme in the country on operating an independent printing press, assisting independent newspapers to circulate without depending on the government-controlled printing house.