The 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which commenced on Monday, saw participants addressing the worsening situation in Kyrgyzstan. Sigrid Lipott, representing CIVICUS - the World Alliance for Citizen Participation, expressed concern over the decline in civil liberties in the country.
"Civil liberties in Kyrgyzstan are rapidly deteriorating. We are alarmed by recent discussions in parliament regarding the so-called 'foreign agents' law, aimed at organizations of civil society receiving foreign funding, and a new restrictive law on the media. There are attempts to undermine freedom of speech in the country, with independent media recently coming under attack," she emphasized.
Ireland called on the Kyrgyz parliament to withdraw the draft law on "foreign agents." "We urge the Kyrgyz parliament to reject the draft law on foreign agents and protect the space for civil society," stated the Irish representative.
On February 22, lawmakers approved amendments to the Law on NGOs in the second reading, introducing the concept of a "foreign agent" (similar to the foreign agent concept in Russian legislation). 64 parliamentarians voted in favor, while 5 opposed.
The concept of the new media law was accepted on March 4 at a session of the parliamentary budget committee. However, even members of the Jogorku Kenesh have numerous questions about it, not to mention independent media experts.
