RSF calls for end to prosecutions of Kyrgyz media and journalists
(WorldNews France)

Kyrgyzstan used to be seen as an exception in Central Asia as regards media pluralism, but the first half of 2017 has been marked by criminal proceedings against media outlets for `insulting` President Almazbek Atambayev, the blocking of the independent news website Ferghana, arrests of journalists and verbal attacks on the media by the president. `In a democracy such as Kyrgyzstan, the presidential election being held in October ought to be an opportunity for encouraging a climate of debate and an exchange of critical ideas but instead the Kyrgyz authorities seem to want to imitate their neighbours and adopt their...