Skip to main content

January 19-25, 2015

Media Monitoring Report for Kyrgyzstan
Posted on January 25, 2015

Compiled by Caitlin Murphy

 

Vecherniy Bishkek, vb.kg, Privately-owned media, Accessed on 20 January 2015
Kyrgyzstan receives progress report from UN Human Rights Council in Geneva

  • At-risk groups: ethnic minorities, LGBT community
  • Priorities outlined: independence of the judiciary, rights of fair trial, the safety of journalists and civil activists
  • The meeting focused mainly on LGBT rights in Kyrgyzstan
  • Representatives from Sweden, the U.S., Austria, Canada, Brazil, Serbia, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the Czech Republic suggested that the government pay attention to attacks on LGBT people by government officials and civil society
  • A representative from Sweden suggested that the government provide training on the rights of sexual minorities
  • A representative from American criticized the government’s policy on the required registration of religious organizations
  • A representative of Austria criticized the torture practices within justice and defence sectors
  • A representative from Belgium praised the republic for a moratorium on the death penalty, and improvements in the field of freedom of expression

‘24.kg’ News Agency, Privately-owned media, Accessed on 22 January 2015
Former Kyrgyz Mufti on Religion in Kyrgyzstan: “Too Liberal”

  • At a roundtable on 22 January 2015 a former Mufti of Kyrgyzstan criticized the country’s tolerance of religious movements
  • He said laws should be tightened; he said that it is unsafe that at present, any denomination can be registered and operate in the country, and that these groups will only be stopped if they pose a threat to society
  • He warned about the strong Shiite movements of Islam in the country that have teaching institutions in Naryn and Osh
  • He promoted the “moderate Sunni Islam of tradition” in Kyrgyzstan

‘24.kg’ News Agency, Privately-owned media, Accessed on 23 January 2015
Hate speech in Kyrgyz media

  • A study of hate speech in Kyrgyz media was conducted by the School of Peacemaking and Media Technology in Central Asia
  • 47 of the most popular Kyrgyz media outlets were analyzed as part of the study
  • Notable results include
    • 36.1% of the 47 contained hate speech
    • 41.3% of the 47 contained ‘hostile attacks’
    • 27.2% of the hate speech was found on the Internet
    • Less than 1% of hate speech was heard on television

‘24.kg’ News Agency, Privately-owned media, Accessed on 24 January 2015
Civil activist Adil Turdukulov not allowed out of the country

  • A planned delegation of 14-17 Kyrgyz citizens to the United States was one member short, when Adil Turkdukulov was not allowed to leave the country
  • Government officials claimed the delegation to be composed entirely of opposition members, going to the U.S. for funding
  • One of the leaders of the delegation, Adil Turdukulov, refuted the claim; noting that human rights activists would also be in attendance
  • Turdukulov was refused exit from Kyrgyzstan into Kazakhstan at the border
  • He was given notice that he was to report to the Leninsky District Court in Bishkek  He was not told why he was being called to court
  • When asked why, State Border Service agents told him they could not disclose the reason, which would be revealed to him in court
  • One of Turdukulov’s travel companions, and an opposition member of parliament, Omurbek Abdyrakhmanov, said that as far as he knew, a case against Turdukulov has not yet been initiated
2. Society and Government

’24.kg,’ Privately-owned media, Accessed on 29 January 2015
Minister of the Interior denies reports of illegal withholding of passports

  • Some citizens and human rights activists have reported that police have been seizing documents without cause
  • The Ministry claims that the only passports are being seized are those suspected to be false; they produced an audit showing that from 2012-2013 2 212 passports were issued on illegal data
3. Ethnic Tensions

Vecherniy Bishkek, vb.kg, Privately-owned media, Accessed on 26 January 2015
Specialists from the Kyrgyz Republic not allowed to access archives in Moscow on border demarcation

  • Tajik and Kyrgyz officials have sought to cooperate on border delimitation of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border
  • They have sought access to archives in Moscow, but have received no help from the states, and were only permitted to work 4 hours a day
  • The officials are seeking to resolve disputed territories over which there have been violent disputes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the formation of the new Central Asian republics as sovereign nations.

Kabar.kg, State-owned media, Accessed on 29 January 2015
Ethnic conflict in Vasilevka

  • A recent conflict between youths of different nationalities in the village of Vasilevka, located just outside of Bishkek, has prompted attention toward the prevention of ethnic conflict in the area.
  • The village is home to ethnic Kyrgyz, as well as Tajiks and Uzbeks.
  • Local officials have cited holes in the education system, and a lack of youth employment.
Back to top

© Concordia University