March 20, 2001
His Excellency Askar Akayev
President of Kyrgyzstan
Kirov St. 205
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Via Fax: 011-996-312-218-627
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply disturbed by your
government's recent crackdown on independent and opposition media in Kyrgyzstan,
exemplified by the recent closure of the opposition twice-weekly newspaper
Asaba and the suspension of the independent weekly Res Publica.
CPJ believes the Kyrgyz government, along with companies and individuals
reportedly close to it, are using tax laws and other legal tools at their
disposal in an effort to silence popular publications that have criticized
Your Excellency's regime.
On February 13, a local court in Bishkek ordered the Uchkun Publishing
House to cease printing Res Publica until it had paid off two overdue
libel fines. At the time of the ruling, Res Publica owed damages
of 70,000 soms (about US$1,500) to Amanbek Karypkulov, president of the
National Radio and Television Corporation (NRTC), and local politician
Sadyrbek Botaliev for allegedly violating their "honor and dignity." The
fines were imposed in 1999 and 2000 respectively.
The weekly did not appear on February 27 and March 6, since the paper's
bank accounts were frozen by court order. Lacking sufficient funds to
pay the fines, Res Publica turned to local political parties and
non-profit organizations for help. After raising the necessary money and
paying off the fines, the paper resumed publication on March 13.
On March 6, meanwhile, another Bishkek court ordered Uchkun not to print
further issues of Asaba, the oldest and most popular Kyrgyz-language
publication in the country, until it had paid fines and damages totaling
eight million soms (about US$160,000), including an unprecedented US$100,000
damage award to parliamentary deputy Turdakun Usubaliev. The court also
ruled that any money coming into the newspaper's bank accounts would be
garnished to pay the fines.
For two weeks in March, articles by Asaba journalists appeared
in Res Publica. But when officials began confiscating Asaba's
property on March 15, they also impounded 3,000 kilograms of newsprint
stored at Uchkun. This effectively blocks the publication of both newspapers,
since Res Publica has no paper reserves of its
own. On March 19, Asaba's owner announced that the newspaper was
suspending publication indefinitely. Because the joint project with Res
Publica had not been profitable, he said, Asaba would have
to seek other solutions for its financial problems.
Asaba's effective closure followed several years of harassment
from Kyrgyz tax authorities. In 1998, authorities demanded some US$42,000
in allegedly overdue taxes. The charges were dropped last year. But on
February 27, chief tax official Aziz Momunkulov again charged the newspaper
with tax evasion.
The newspaper's financial troubles were exacerbated by a financial dispute
with the Kumtor Operating Company (a subsidiary of Canada's Cameco Corporation),
which reportedly has close links to the Kyrgyz government. Kumtor claims
that the newspaper owes it over million soms (about US$22,000). Asaba
disputed the claim in the Court of Appeals, which on February 20 ruled
in favor of Kumtor.
As an organization of journalists dedicated to defending the rights of
our colleagues around the world, CPJ condemns the ongoing harassment of
Asaba and Res Publica. We urge you to ensure that official
persecution of these publications ceases at once, and that both newspapers
are allowed to print without further impediment.
Thank you for your attention to these urgent matters. We await your reply.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
His Excellency Askar Akayev
President of Kyrgyzstan
Kirov St. 205
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Via Fax: 011-996-312-218-627