Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed a law toughening state control over foreign-funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on 2 April.
The law, which uses provisions and language similar to the 2012 Russian law on “foreign agents”, introduces additional reporting obligations for foreign-funded NGOs engaged in “political” activities.
It also gives the authorities greater powers of oversight and provides for criminal sanctions in case of non-compliance. However, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe warned in February that passage of the bill “would have an overwhelmingly negative impact on civil society, human rights defenders, and the media in Kyrgyzstan.”
US State Department spokesman Matt Miller claimed the department was “deeply concerned” by the passage of the law, adding that the law jeopardised the work of NGOs.
This is the latest in a series of Kyrgyz government actions that have undermined democratic governance and civil society.
