The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has praised Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov's move to withdraw a bill from parliament that could have been used against independent press. The bill, inspired by Russia's "foreign agents" law, was seen as a threat to press freedom in the country, along with ongoing media repression and imprisonment of journalists.
CPJ's Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator, Gulnoza Said, stated that the withdrawal of the bill was a necessary step. She emphasized the importance of engaging with media and press freedom advocates to ensure that any future versions of the bill address journalists' concerns about potential censorship.
The President's spokesperson, Askat Alagozov, confirmed that the media bill was withdrawn on President Japarov's orders. The decision came after a meeting between the President and media leaders, where feedback on the bill was discussed. Following the meeting, President Japarov instructed for the document to be revised based on the input received.
The bill, drafted by the President's administration, was submitted to parliament in early January as the fifth version of the document. Despite being worked on by a special working group, there was no unanimous agreement or thorough discussion on the bill's content before its submission. The withdrawal of the bill marks a positive development in safeguarding press freedom in Kyrgyzstan.
