A group of Russian public figures labeled as "foreign agents" have appealed to Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to veto the parliament's amendments to the NGO legislation concerning "foreign representatives." The appeal was made on the website of Amnesty International.
The video appeals to the Kyrgyz Republic's leader were made by:
- Musician Andrey Makarevich
- Head of a charity organization aiding migrants and refugees Svetlana Gannushkina
- Historian and head of "Memorial" Yan Rachinsky (this organization is the Nobel Peace Prize laureate for 2022).
All the authors of the appeal have faced significant difficulties in their homeland due to similar laws.
In his appeal, Yan Rachinsky, the chairman of the board of the international society "Memorial," pointed out that a similar Russian law, supposedly aimed at ensuring transparency in NGO financing, ultimately took on a blatantly repressive character.
Andrei Makarevich, the leader of the music group 'Time Machine,' shared his personal experience when he was labeled as a 'foreign agent' for 'irrelevant behavior,' despite the absence of foreign funding. He praised Georgia for not accepting the amendments on 'foreign agents' in March 2023 in response to mass protest demonstrations.
Svetlana Gannushkina, the head of the charity organization "Civic Assistance," emphasized the humanitarian aspect, highlighting the importance of international support to help those most in need of social assistance, especially when the state itself lacks resources. She stressed that even if organizations seek support from foreign funds, "it doesn't mean anything," as "our planet is very small, we are all interconnected, and we all want to help those who belong to vulnerable groups."
The appeals to Sadyr Japarov were also made by the director of the human rights fund "Public Verdict" Natalya Taubina and former lawyer Mikhail Benyash, both of whom were previously labeled as "foreign agents" by the Russian state.
On March 14, the Jogorku Kenesh passed in the third reading a bill on "foreign representatives" (analogous to the foreign agent in Russian legislation), officially known as the draft law "On Amending the Law 'On Non-Commercial Organizations'."
