European Forum

Kyrgyz government blocks leading independent news agency

On 22 February the access to the website Ferghana, a prominent independent Russian news website that reports about Central Asia, was blocked by Kyrgyz authorities. The contentious resolution regarding the restriction on the freedom of media was already unanimously approved by the parliament eight months ago.

The authorities in Birsha accused the website of covering news concerning the interethnic onslaught that erupted in June 2010 in a “subjective” and “provocative” way. According to the government, the reports on the violence between Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in the south “ignited ethnic, religious and racial hatred”. A Russian journalist was charged for emphasizing increasing nationalism and deploring the status of the ethnic Russian minority. Remarkably, rules seem to be unequally applied, since Kyrgyz news agencies are currently provocatively calling for Uzbeks to leave and reproaching Jews for the country’s misery.

The move of the Kyrgyz government sparked a wave of criticism by press-freedom activists. Reporters Without Borders firmly condemned the block, describing it as "a major step backwards for Central Asia’s first parliamentary democracy”. According to the watchdog, the coverage on the violence was “exemplary”. Only Kyrgyz Telecom, the largest internet provider in the country, restricted accession to the website. According to the company, Kyrgyz authorities demanded them to do so.

Sources: Eurasianet, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, Reporters without borders
Image Flickr: by benpaarmann