Freedom of Speech Rally Held in Kyrgyzstan Over Information Manipulation Bill
A rally for freedom of speech took place on Monday in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, with the protesters opposing a bill passed by the country's parliament last week that restricts the spread of information on the internet, a Sputnik correspondent reported
BISHKEK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th June, 2020) A rally for freedom of speech took place on Monday in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, with the protesters opposing a bill passed by the country's parliament last week that restricts the spread of information on the internet, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
The protesters marched along the central streets of Bishkek to the parliament building holding posters calling for freedom of speech in the country.
The demonstrators demanded that President Sooronbay Jeenbekov veto the bill, which is officially called "On Information Manipulation."
"This law does not aim at combating fake [information] but at controlling all users of social networks. Lawmakers want to limit people in expressing their opinions.
There should be no censorship in Kyrgyzstan if we position ourselves as a democratic state," one of the protesters told Sputnik.
The bill was initiated by lawmaker Gulshat Asylbaeva and aims to fight false information on the internet and to limit access to unverified data. It also envisages the procedure and conditions for spreading information on the internet, as well as the procedure for restricting access to websites and pages in case of non-compliance with the legislation of the republic.
The bill triggered a public backlash, with a number of activists and human rights advocates saying it threatens freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan. Several public organizations made open requests to the president of the country asking him not to sign it into law.