The mass media in Kyrgyzstan experience greater freedom compared to neighbouring countries in the region, [1] and the constitution guarantees freedom of the press and prohibits censorship. [2] However, the media are still restricted by the government. The OSCE issued a report on the ethical standards in print and online media of Kyrgyzstan. [3]
In 2003, eight of Kyrgyzstan’s 25 to 30 newspapers and magazines were state-owned, and the state publishing house, Uchkun, was the major newspaper publisher in the country. [2]
Competition among media outlets is skewed by heavy government support of pro-government newspapers and broadcast outlets. [2] In the early 2000s, an increasing number of such outlets were controlled by individuals with ties to the government. [2] There is currently a mixture of 8 state owned and 20 private television networks in Kyrgyzstan, where the government restricts broadcasts and has in the past, intimidated or shut down private networks such as NTS which aired opposition protests. [4] There are 23 FM radio stations and a total of 13 AM stations. The state-owned media is dominant, and moves to privatise it by the opposition were blocked by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, given the political climate in the country. [4] However coverage is limited, especially in the south of the country. Most private networks are based in the capital, Bishkek. There were 187.6 television sets per 1,000 population in 2004; no statistics were available on radio use. [2]
Like television and radio, news media are restricted in what they can report and are rarely critical of the government. Journalists in the past have been harassed and intimidated who were both pro and anti-government, and protested when the President took the role of deputy director at the state run Public Broadcasting Corporation of the Kyrgyz Republic. [5] There is a mixture of state owned and private agencies, in Kyrgyz, Russian and English languages. [1] Libel is a punishable offence, though it is unevenly enforced. [4]
After the change of government in 2005, opposition views generally received more exposure in the media than before. [2] However, access to the mass media by opposition spokespersons remained limited. [2] An opposition television station Sentyabr (September) was ordered to close by a Kyrgyz court. [6]
More than 34 percent of population in Kyrgyzstan were using Internet by 2016. [7] The growth of the Internet usage led to online media being more significant, and playing a bigger role in the political processes in the country. The best example of that were anticorruption protests held in Bishkek in November and December 2019 after Kloop, a local media outlet, had published an investigation together with the Kyrgyz bureau of Radio Liberty and Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project about the massive corruption at the Kyrgyz customs service. [8]
The history of the Kyrgyz people and the land now called Kyrgyzstan goes back more than 3,000 years. Although geographically isolated by its mountainous location, it had an important role as part of the historical Silk Road trade route. Turkic nomads, who trace their ancestry to many Turkic states such as the First and Second Turkic Khaganates, have inhabited the country throughout its history. In the 13th century, Kyrgyzstan was conquered by the Mongols; subsequently it regained independence but was invaded by Kalmyks, Manchus, and Uzbeks. In 1876, it became part of the Russian Empire, remaining in the USSR as the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic after the Russian Revolution. Following Mikhael Gorbachev's democratic reforms in the USSR, in 1990 pro-independence candidate Askar Akayev was elected president of the SSR. On 31 August 1991, Kyrgyzstan declared independence from Moscow, and a democratic government was subsequently established.
The politics of Kyrgyzstan, officially known as the Kyrgyz Republic, takes place in the framework of a presidential system representative democratic republic, whereby the President is head of state and the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers is head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Kyrgyzstan an "authoritarian regime" in 2022.
Kyrgyzstan or the Kyrgyz Republic is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek.
The Tulip Revolution or First Kyrgyz Revolution led to President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev's fall from power. The revolution began after parliamentary elections on February 27 and March 13, 2005. The revolutionaries alleged corruption and authoritarianism by Akayev, his family and supporters. Akayev fled to Kazakhstan and then to Russia. On April 4, 2005, at the Kyrgyz embassy in Moscow, Akayev signed his resignation statement in the presence of a Kyrgyz parliamentary delegation. The resignation was ratified by the Kyrgyz interim parliament on April 11, 2005.
Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev is a Kyrgyz politician who served as the second President of Kyrgyzstan, from 2005 to 2010. Large opposition protests in April 2010 led to the takeover of government offices, forcing Bakiyev to flee the country.
Human rights in Kyrgyzstan improved after the ouster of President Askar Akayev in the 2005 Tulip Revolution and the installment of a more democratic government under Roza Otunbayeva. While the country is performing well compared to other states in Central Asia, many human rights violations still take place. While LGBT rights have been declining in recent years, freedom of press has been improving.
Almazbek Sharshen uluu Atambayev is a Kyrgyz politician who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 1 December 2011 to 24 November 2017. He was Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from 17 December 2010 to 1 December 2011, and from 29 March 2007 to 28 November 2007. He served as Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) from 30 July 1999 to 23 September 2011.
A new constitution of Kyrgyzstan was passed by referendum on 21 October 2007. It is based on the first post-Soviet constitution originally adopted on 5 May 1993.
The mass media in Ghana, includes television, radio, internet publishing and newspapers.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Kyrgyzstan face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Kyrgyzstan, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are ineligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.
The Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010, also known as the Second Kyrgyz Revolution, the Melon Revolution, the April Events or officially as the People's April Revolution, began in April 2010 with the ousting of Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev in the capital Bishkek. It was followed by increased ethnic tension involving Kyrgyz people and Uzbeks in the south of the country, which escalated in June 2010. The violence ultimately led to the consolidation of a new parliamentary system in Kyrgyzstan.
Azimzhan Askarov was an ethnic Uzbek Kyrgyzstani political activist who founded the group Vozduh in 2002 to investigate police brutality. During the 2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes, which primarily targeted people of the Uzbek nationality, Askarov worked to document the violence.
Kyrgyzstan is ranked 144th of 180 countries in Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, where the country ranked first in the Index is perceived to have the most honest public sector and the country ranked 180th, the most corrupt. Despite having a strong legal framework, there still exists a huge gulf in Kyrgyzstan between the law and its implementation. Kyrgyzstan’s rampant corruption which penetrates all levels of society, including the presidency, eventually caused the Tulip Revolution in 2005, overthrowing Askar Akayev, and the 2010 Kyrgyzstani revolution, ousting Kurmanbek Bakiyev from office.
The following lists events that happened during 2010 in Kyrgyzstan.
Sooronbay Sharip uulu Jeenbekov is a Kyrgyz politician who served as the 5th President of Kyrgyzstan from 2017 until his resignation in 2020, following a week of protests. Prior to that he served as the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from April 2016 to August 2017.
Kloop is a media organization based in Kyrgyzstan known for its news website and journalism investigations. Founded in 2007, Kloop gained prominence in Kyrgyzstan three years later, when it investigated criminal activities of the son of the president of Kyrgyzstan. Today Kloop is one of the most popular news websites in Kyrgyzstan.
Raimbek Matraimov is a Kyrgyz politician. He was the deputy chair of the State Customs Service of Kyrgyzstan. After being fired in late 2017, Matraimov became a central figure in an ongoing large scale money-laundering case, one of the biggest scandals in the history of Kyrgyz politics.
The Kyrgyz Revolution of 2020 began on 5 October 2020, in response to the previous day's parliamentary election that was perceived by protestors as unfair, with allegations of vote rigging. The results of the election were annulled on 6 October 2020. On 12 October 2020, President Jeenbekov announced a state of emergency in the capital city of Bishkek, which was approved by Parliament the following day. Jeenbekov resigned on 15 October 2020.
Sadyr Nurgojoyevich Japarov is a Kyrgyz politician who has served as the president of Kyrgyzstan since 28 January 2021. He had previously served as the acting prime minister of Kyrgyzstan in the 2020 interim government following the resignation of Sooronbay Jeenbekov on 15 October 2020 amidst electoral protests. Japarov also became acting president of Kyrgyzstan after Jeenbekov's resignation but resigned himself on 14 November 2020. On 10 January 2021, Japarov was elected president.
Leila Nazgül Seiitbek is a lawyer and human rights activist from Kyrgyzstan.
This article incorporates public domain material from World Factbook. CIA.
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