The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan adopted on Thursday March 14 a law similar to the Russian model on “foreign agents” which strengthens government control over NGOs, while the state is accused of wanting to control civil society.
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At Kyrgyzstanthe bill was adopted at third reading and must “ promote transparency in the activities of NGOs, including those financed by foreign states », Indicates the Parliament on its website. The term “NGO exercising the functions of foreign representative” has been introduced into the legislation, and should allow the authorities to exercise increased control over organizations receiving foreign funding.
In the past, the Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov had already threatened to take legal action against NGOs undermining the state and political security. »
Following the adoption, the delegation of the European Union and several embassies in Kyrgyzstan – Germany, Canada, United States, France, United Kingdom – expressed, in a joint press release, their “ worry », calling on President Japarov to “ revise the law (…) which compromises the ability of NGOs to operate freely. »
According to the same source, this law “ hindrance » the capacity of these countries to “ provide assistance to improve the lives of residents » from one of the poorest countries of the former USSR.
A similar bill for the media
Another illustration of the growing influence of the authorities on civil society, Kyrgyzstan has been working for more than a year and a half on a similar bill, but applying to the media.
Among the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia, where freedom of expression remains restricted and political opposition almost non-existent, Kyrgyzstan has long been an exception, with three presidents overthrown by revolutions (2005, 2010, 2020) since the independence of the USSR in 1991. But in recent months, the authorities have arrested several journalists and wanted to close several private media outlets covering in particular the political opposition or corruption cases.
NGOs denounce a concentration of power in the hands of leader Sadyr Japarov and the head of the secret services, Kamtchybek Tashiev. In recent weeks, Kyrgyz state media have jointly criticized the “ attempts at interference by foreign agents “, a ” information warfare waged by external actors to overthrow the government “, or ” the destabilizing informational influence of the West “.
The reason why Sadyr Japarov and his ally Tashiev are attacking civil society, critics and the media today is because they have violated a multitude of laws almost from day one. Journalists have denounced specific acts of nepotism and corruption in their publications. Eleven journalists were arrested and all were or are investigative journalists. The authorities accused them of collusion to overthrow the constitutional order or of inciting riots, which is false. The real reason for their arrest is that the authorities wanted to prevent them from doing their investigative work. Obviously, civil society and NGOs have denounced the many problems of the last four years. And knowing that these violations traditionally lead to protests in Kyrgyzstan, I think this is an attempt by Japarov to ensure that there won’t be any, but also to protect his power and keep the reins in the long run. term.
Details from Leila Seiitbek, Kyrgyz human rights activist and president of the NGO Freedom for Eurasia
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