Recently, a bill proposing fines for defamation through media and the Internet has sparked wide discussions in society. The Kabar News Agency reached out to the head of state to get his opinion on this bill and on freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan in general.
Greetings, Sadyr Nurgozhoyevich!
-Hello!
A bill, which is currently in its first reading in the Parliament’s committee, has been published on the Cabinet of Ministers' website and social media pages. It proposes fines of 100 000 soms for individuals and 200 000 soms for legal entities for spreading false information in the media. This bill has caused a lot of public discussion. Some deputies and media outlets are calling for the bill to be withdrawn. What is your stance on this initiative?
- This bill was proposed by the Ministry of Culture. I learned about it yesterday after discussions began on social media. In my opinion, there is no need to withdraw it, as it is still just a draft. Let the deputies or the media make their suggestions, additions, or amendments. I also oppose fines of 100,000 or 200,000 soms.
This should be brought to the Parliament for consideration. The deputies will decide what the fine should be, why is this law needed? Currently, about 95% of our citizens use the internet.
We live in a time where even two neighbors can quarrel over the internet. One posts defamatory information about the other on social media. As a result, they end up in court. And the information turns out to be false.
In court, apologies are made or compensation is paid, and everything calms down. The same situation occurs between the media and the government. Media outlets spread false information about those in power, then apologize and remove it.
I'll give just one example. Recently, "Azattyk" spread false information about me. When my press secretary called them and said, "What are you doing? Why are you spreading false information about the President?", they responded, "We apologize, we’ve already removed it." But that information had been online for a full day.
How many people read it? Not only in our country but in more than 30 countries worldwide. How would they know that "Azattyk" was spreading false information? Could we take "Azattyk" to court over this? Of course, we could. But I chose not to. Let there be freedom of speech in our country. However, their actions do not fall under freedom of speech. I think this bill is being developed precisely for such cases where false and panic-inducing information is spread. Let the bill reach the Parliament, let the discussions begin, and we will see what happens.
Recently, a trial was held against 11 journalists accused of inciting mass unrest, and the prosecutor demanded a six-year prison sentence for each of them. This fact has been viewed by some international organizations and experts as pressure on freedom of speech. This raises the question: what is the state of freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan?
-There is, has been, and will be freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan. As I’ve said before, don’t spread false information on social media, don’t defame others without evidence, and don’t harm anyone’s honor.
You are free to voice your demands or criticism anywhere in the country, including towards the authorities, but do so with evidence. We will correct our shortcomings and try to resolve your issues. We are open to cooperation with both the people and the media. As for the 11 journalists, only two of them are actual journalists.
The rest, as they say, have an education only up to the 11th grade. How can you deny the fact that they were paid money to sit on social media and spread false messages calling for unrest? Once again, I repeat, false information that incites unrest is not part of freedom of speech.
Interviewed by Director of Kabar National News Agency, Mederbek Shermetaliev
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