Kyrgyzstan: Parliament in Bishkek Aims at Containing Internet

Parliamentarians in Kyrgyzstan are proposing legislation to restrict Internet freedom, media watchdogs say.

The proposed Internet legislation would classify the web as a form of mass media, thus burdening producers of Internet content with the same regulations faced by broadcasters. Proponents of the bill say it is designed to protect Kyrgyz citizens from religious extremism and pornography. Media advocates, however, fear the move would limit freedom of speech.

Kyrgyzstan has ranked highly in press freedom rankings relative to other Central Asian states, but its reputation has fallen during the last few years. The country enjoys the highest Internet penetration by population in Central Asia at 14 percent, according to figures from the International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency. Kazakhstan follows at just over 9 percent with Uzbekistan ranked third in the region at 7 percent.

The law would make Internet providers and blog-hosting platforms responsible for content they host, thus increasing their vulnerability to libel charges. It would also allow law enforcement officials to eavesdrop on Internet traffic.

MP Alisher Sabirov, the main sponsor of the bill, told EurasiaNet that a new law is needed as a preventative measure. The Internet carries "information that can ignite inter-ethnic and religious conflicts and . . . pornography." But the law will not limit freedom of speech, he said. "We will have a precise list of things forbidden and allowed [to be posted on the Internet]. It just will add some more work for moderators and administrators of news sites, so they [must] have people to regulate and check information to be posted."

The current draft, Sabirov added, will not attempt to censor bloggers. But Sabirov's comments have not thoroughly reassured bloggers in the region. Bektour Iskender, founder of the blog hosting platform kloop.kg, is afraid that current drafts will intimidate website operators. He added that Kyrgyz media outlets are rapidly becoming politicized. "Right now, we can see who owns the media and who's side they are on, which is not good, because I don't think the media should be on either side," Iskender said. "Now we have this strong division between pro-government and pro-opposition newspapers."

He sees the country's energy troubles and worsening economy as a reason behind both increased online protest and increased government pressure: "With the situation worsening, especially with the electricity and other [problems] . . . now many people started posting comments like, 'I'm so angry that I'm ready to go on the street and start protesting.' And it seems like there are many people in Kyrgyzstan who would share this opinion and would say the same. It seems like society is again becoming more and more aggressive towards the authorities."

But part of the problem, Iskender admits, is the low quality of journalism in Kyrgyzstan. Many papers "publish without checking whether [an event] happened or not. This is a problem of local journalists."

Ilim Karypbekov, director of the Media Commission Institute, a non-profit that lobbies for a free press in Kyrgyzstan, is against any regulation of the Internet. "Definitely, I don't want any regulation," he said. "We already have enough other laws, [ensuring] libel on the Internet will be punished."

Karypbekov suggests "Internet-providers create a self-regulation system . . . to show the government the possibility of controlling and regulating the Internet sphere in civilized way without legislative regulation."

Journalists in Kyrgyzstan have reasons to be afraid. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are notorious for blocking websites and locking up journalists. And last year the popular blog-hosting platform Live Journal was blocked in Kazakhstan when the exiled former son-in-law of the president used his blog to launch political attacks against President Nursultan Nazarbayev's administration. Most Kyrgyz Internet traffic passes through neighboring Kazakhstan, thus rendering the site unavailable in Kyrgyzstan as well.

Not all is lost, Iskender feels. He's eager to work with the government. "It seems like they just don't know all of the opportunities that the Internet provides. So we want to show it to them, so they understand it, and they would probably change their mind after that," Iskender said. "It would be great if, for example, we were able to organize some sort of new media trainings for all the parliament members. . . . We don't want to be enemies with them."