Kyrgyz Censorship

President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has increased censorship throughout Kyrgyzstan:

"In the past few weeks the Kyrgyz government has been blocking transmission of Radio Free Europe (Azattyk) and BBC radio, both of which have a broadcast range covering the entire country. The ban comes at a time of a worsening energy crisis, rampant inflation, mobilization by opposition movements, and general public disaffection with President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s government. Today, all broadcasts throughout the country must go through the government-controlled Kyrgyz TV and Radio Corporation (KTR).

"A Kyrgyz NGO, the Coalition for Democracy and a Civil Society, has expressed its concern over the government’s censorship, arguing that this is an attempt to cut the Kyrgyz public off from independent media (www.akipress.kg, December 9). According to the NGO, after censoring local media, the government moved to shut off access to international news outlets, which has a great impact on mostly rural inhabitants."