OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan

On 1 October 2021, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, Ruslan Kazakbaev, to discuss the current state of media freedom and freedom of expression in Kyrgyzstan.

Ribeiro and Kazakbaev addressed several issues, including safety of journalists, media pluralism, and the importance of free media in a democratic society.

The Representative extended her readiness to continue supporting Kyrgyzstan by providing legal reviews of legislation pertaining to media freedom. She also pointed to recommendations of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review for 2015–2019 to review Article 313 of the Criminal Code on incitement to racial, ethnic, religious, and other forms of hostility as to comply with Articles 19 and 20 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Minister Kazakbaev stressed that Kyrgyzstan attaches importance to further developing co-operation with the OSCE. Furthermore, he highlighted efforts by the authorities to ensure safety of journalists, adding that serious efforts are made to improve the media freedom situation in the country.

Representative Ribeiro thanked the authorities of Kyrgyzstan for the sustained support of and engagement with regional efforts, such as the third Judicial Dialogue in May and the 23rd Central Asia Media Conference in September. Both important platforms for strengthening media freedom and provide an enabling environment for free, independent and professional journalism accross the region.