Kyrgyzstan: Press Freedom in May 1998
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Subject: Kyrgyzstan: Press Freedom in May 1998
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Natalia Ablova <[email protected]>
Kyrgyzstan: Press Freedom in May 1998
Press Freedom in Kyrgyzstan
May 1998
Judicial Pressure
On 20 and 21 May the Oktyabrski District Court of Bishkek, headed by
Judge Guldzhan Esenalieva, heard the matter concerning the journalist
Irina Stepkicheva. The general prosecutor, Asanbek Sharshenaliev,
appeared for the applicants (see the January monitoring). At the
beginning of February 1998 the court ordered the close of settlement
negotiations which had been going on for the previous two months
without agreement. In the middle of April the applicant appealed to
the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan against the unfounded delay in the
consideration period for this matter. The deputy chair of the Supreme
Court signed an order for the Oktyabrski District Court of Bishkek to
hear the substance of the general prosecutor's complaint. The
Oktyabrski District Court decided that the applicant's complaint was
unfounded. The next sitting of the court is to be at the beginning of
June.
* * *
A member of the Upper House of Parliament, Omurbek Tekebaev, has
brought two suits in the Sverdlovski District Court against the
"Vecherny Bishkek" newspaper. Both matters are being heard by Judge
Svetlana Rustembekova since 28 May. The deputy prosecutor of the
region is also taking part in the hearing. The first case concerns the
article "Coup", 17 April, in which Anvar Artykov, a member of
parliament, gave his opinion on the latest structural reorganization
of the parliamentary committees linking it to some secret agreements
within the House. Tekebaev believes that the journalists
premeditatedly put words into the mouth of one of his colleagues in
the house "making the readers believe... that I have participated in
corruption." The other matter concerns an article from 21 April,
"Members of Parliament Shout: "Tally-ho"". Tekebaev considers that the
newspaper incorrectly reported his words about the activities of one
of the members of parliament. Tekebaev estimates the damages from the
first article to be two million som (about $US 100,000) and the second
to be one million som (about $US 50,000).
Administrative Pressure
In the middle of May the director of the independent radio station
"Almaz", Rustam Koshmuratov, was ordered by the National
Communications Agency to sign a licensed agreement obliging the
presentation of reports on profits and expenses, on the types of
listener complaints, on services provided and so on. Apart from
demanding this information, the National Communications Agency has the
right to require from the licensee (under the agreement) any
additional information that may be used to carry out routine and
surprise inspections. The licensee must also provide a list of the
allotted priorities of broadcasting to the state authorities and
administration "...in accordance with the current legislation of the
Kyrgyz Republic". Rustam Koshmuratov is refusing to sign the license
agreement of the National Communications Agency with such conditions.
* * *
On 20 May, officers of the Suzak section of the Ministry of National
Security took a video camera from representatives of the Uzbek
National-Cultural Centre, accusing them of incitement when they filmed
the aftermath of the natural disaster of 18-19 May in Suzak. (This
occurred after a downpour of rain washed away a dam on the river
Kok-Art).
* * *
In May a publishing house "Slovo Kyrgyzstana" (created from the
newspaper "Slovo Kyrygzstana") was established by government decree
(28 April). Aleksandr Malevanny (the former chief editor of the
newspaper "Nasha Gazeta") was named as the director and chief editor.
The reorganization caused conflicts within the staff at the newspaper
"Slovo Kyrgyzstana" since Malevanny immediately warned that
journalists must comply with "the demands of the current times".
Leading journalists suggested a change in the tone of the newspaper
towards further loyalty in their attitude towards the government. The
former chief editor of "Slovo Kyrgyzstana", Arkadi Gladilov, has up to
this point stayed out of job. Independent observers suggest that the
creation of this publishing house and also of the "Kyrgyz tuusu"
publishing house (by governmental decree, 25 May 1998, created from
the "Kyrgyz tuusu" Kyrgyz language newspaper) is directly linked to
the coming local (in 1999), parliamentary and presidential (in 2000)
elections.
Religious Pressure
On 12 May, following the publication of an article entitled "Jihad
Victims and Hostages" (1 May 98) in the "Vecherny Bishkek" newspaper,
the Spiritual Board of Muslims in Kyrgyzstan (SBMK) made an Appeal in
which they accused Russians and Russian language newspapers of trying
to turn the population away from Islam. The statement continues that
"...it is exactly these Russian newspapers which provoke trouble
everywhere - in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and other places. Russian
newspapers are always interfering in our religious matters", "mosques
are described as though they exist only to train bandits." According
to the SBMK, the aim of the "Russian newspapers" is "that a part of
the Kyrgyz population becomes Christian, a part Baptist and a part
something else, so long as not Muslim." As acknowledged by the
"Vecherny Bishkek" newspaper, after the publication of their "Jihad"
article, but before the publication of the Appeal, a meeting was held
between the newspaper and a delegation from the SBMK. The outcome of
the meeting was that the SBMK representatives decided that although
the article contained a blasphemous photograph of a grenade lying on
the Koran, there was no basis to reproach the newspaper for the
content of the publication.
Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law
29 May 1998
Natalia Ablova, Director,
Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law,
40 Manas avenue, Room 77, Bishkek 720001,
Kyrgyzstan
Tel.+3312 211874
Fax +3312 223924
e-mail: [email protected]
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