The Downfall of a Beacon of Hope
Freedom of the Press and Public Life in Kyrgyzstan
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Until 2020, Kyrgyzstan was the leader among the Central Asian states with a diverse media landscape and good working conditions for journalists. But President Sadyr Japarov has initiated an about-face. His authoritarian regime is increasingly restricting freedom of the press and freedom of expression. Journalists are threatened on the Internet, thrown into prison or driven abroad. The secret service and the judiciary are hunting down independent editorial offices and critical minds. Anti-press legislation gives all of this a legal veneer, while restrictions are disguised as a fight against “fake news” and enemies of “traditional values”.
(Osteuropa 1-3/2025, pp. 385–396)