In Kyrgyzstan, 64 attacks/threats against professional and civil media workers, editorial offices of traditional and online media outletswere identified and analysed in the course of the study for 2023.
Data for the study were collected using content analysis from open sources in Kyrgyz, Russian and English. Reports of incidents sent by media workers directly to experts at the Justice for Journalists were also analysed.
The year 2023 in Kyrgyzstan was marked not only by increased political censorship but also by a crackdown on the media and civil society amid the parliamentary review of two bills: the law "on NGOs” (similar to the Russian "foreign agents” legislation) and law "on mass media”. On 22 February 2024, the law "On NPOs” was adopted after a second reading. The law "on mass media” provides for a number of excessive restrictions, including state regulation of the media and online platforms and sanctions for "abuses of freedom of speech.” As a result, the persecution and harassment of independent media workers who are critical of the government has notably intensified. In addition, an unconstitutional ban on peaceful assembly was introduced.
In 2023, 64 attacks/threats were recorded against journalists, bloggers, media workers, and editorial offices of traditional and online media outlets. Since 2022, the number of attacks against media workers has halved. In 85% of incidents, the attacks were committed by representatives of the authorities.
