International Freedom of Expression Exchange: The global network for free expression
23 February 2005
PRESIDENT USES MEDIA TO DISCREDIT ELECTORAL OPPONENTS
As Kyrgyzstan prepares for legislative elections on 27 February 2005, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) is warning that President Askar Akayev is using his control of the media to smear the opposition and ensure his re-election.
The majority of the country's media outlets are controlled by individuals close to the president, says the IFEX member. The leading television station, KTR, is controlled by the government, and Koort TV and Love Radio are owned by Akayev's son-in-law. The independent television station, Piramida-TV, has been taken over by the Areopag group, which is closely linked to the ruling party.
Meanwhile, authorities have given all media detailed instructions on how to cover the elections, including orders to focus more attention on ruling party candidates. In the run-up to the 2 February 2005 deadline for registering electoral candidates, media coverage has also been slanted in favour of the president and his allies, says RSF.
Other incidents suggest that authorities are using various means to muzzle criticism ahead of the elections.
One of the leading independent newspapers, "MSN", is under pressure from authorities to disclose its sources after it reported on a secret cabinet meeting that allegedly took place in December 2004, according to another IFEX member, Adil Soz. During the meeting, a senior official allegedly gave orders to "neutralize" members of some opposition parties "by any means necessary, including murder" (http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/64240/).
"MSN" has also been sued for libel for alleging in an article that the daily newspaper "Vetchernii Bishkek" was financially controlled by Akayev's son-in-law, Adil Toigonbaev. MSN faces fines of up to 120,000 Euros (US$150,000).
This is not the first time that Toigonbaev's close ties to the president have been questioned. In January, he was implicated in an e-mail smear campaign in which anonymous messages criticising opposition candidates appeared to originate from the websites of opposition newspapers http://www.gazeta.kg and http://centralasia.ru, according to RSF. When traced, the emails were reportedly found to have been sent from http://www.Kyrgyzinfo.kg, a website belonging to Toigonbayev.
Human Rights Watch has also expressed concern over the government's moves to restrict freedom of expression ahead of the elections. In a letter to Akayev, the IFEX member says the clampdown "could compromise the fairness of the election when citizens go to the polls."
Visit these links:
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12577
- Adil Soz: http://www.adilsoz.kz/
- Human Rights Watch Letter to Akayev: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/02/11/kyrgyz10167.htm
- Freedom House Backgrounder on Kyrgyzstan: http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2004/countryratings/kyrgyzstan.htm
- Committee to Protect Journalists Report: http://www.cpj.org/attacks03/europe03/kyrgyz.html
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