Kyrgyzstan

The organization for security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has lauded Kyrgyzstan for being the first former Soviet country to decriminalise libel. The amendment was approved by President Roza Otunbayeva on July 11, after they were adopted by parliament on June 16. The OSCE cited the amendment to the criminal code as a positive step towards increasing freedom of the press in the country. Reportedly, officials often attempt to charge anti-government journalists with libel as a way of silencing them. We view this development very positively. However, we remain sceptical of aspects of the governments' ability and willingness to uphold

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