Kyrgyzstan Seeks To Close US-funded Radio Station

 

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Kyrgyzstan is seeking to shut down the local service of US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty over a report on last year's fatal clashes with Tajikistan, the authorities said on Monday.

The culture ministry said it had filed a lawsuit to shut down award-winning Radio Azattyk, one of the main media outlets in the Central Asian country.

The former Soviet republic enjoys relative freedom of speech compared to other countries in the region but rights groups have repeatedly denounced growing pressure on the media.

A representative of the culture ministry confirmed to AFP that a lawsuit had been filed.

Earlier in the day, Azattyk said the radio station was in hot water over its refusal to remove a video about last year's deadly clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in September, in which around 100 people died.

Azattyk has nearly two million subscribers on its Youtube channel. It regularly reports on the political opposition and investigates alleged corruption.

Additional story at: 

https://www.barrons.com/news/kyrgyzstan-seeks-to-close-us-funded-radio-station-01674484808

BBC Kyrgyz service suffering interruptions

The BBC’s local-language service in Kyrgyzstan is also suffering unexplained interruptions, following reports that RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service is no longer available on local frequencies. One of three BBC broadcasts yesterday was unavailable on Monday, although its 9 pm program was back on the air. Aslan Kapai, a BBC Kyrgyz Service producer, told RFE/RL that the service’s 30-minute program at 8 pm Bishkek time was not available to Kyrgyz listeners. He said no explanation has been given either by the BBC’s affiliate stations or by Kyrgyz officials.
(Sources: RFE/RL, BBC/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)