The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is urging Russian authorities to lift the block on the independent Kyrgyz news site 24.kg and the Tajik publication Payom. CPJ is also calling for an end to censorship of foreign media for their coverage of the conflict in Ukraine. This appeal is detailed on CPJ's official website.
"The ban on disseminating information by Russia's Roskomnadzor, except for government-approved information, only underscores how diligently Moscow seeks to limit its citizens' access to independent news about its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Demands for the prohibition and blocking of Central Asian media, which often have an audience in Russia, are unfounded. Any censorship of foreign media must cease immediately," emphasized Gulnoza Said, the program coordinator for CPJ in Europe and Central Asia.
According to information from the public organization Roskomsvoboda, which tracks restrictions on web resources by Russian authorities, the reason for blocking the Kyrgyz news outlet was four digests about events in Ukraine published in October of last year. Additionally, two articles from the Tajik publication Payom were blocked. These included a local politician's statement in support of Ukraine in November 2022 and information about the possible conscription of Central Asian citizens into the army in February 2023.
Roskomnadzor's database also notes that certain pages from these publications were blocked.
However, according to statements from Payom's editor-in-chief, Shavkatjon Sharipov, and the editorial team of the Kyrgyz news site, both internet resources were completely blocked in Russia.
Decisions to restrict access to 24.kg and Payom were made in November of last year and May 2023 but were only implemented on September 12.
In 2022, 24.kg rejected several requests from Roskomnadzor to remove specific publications related to events in Ukraine. The publication refused to delete the materials as they did not violate the current national legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic.
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