Friday07 February 2025
inbusinesskz.com

Fear of criticism: now, leaving a comment on social media could cost Kyrgyz citizens a significant amount.

The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, has enacted a law imposing fines for defamation and insults online. Offenders could face hefty financial penalties, which may amount to a substantial portion of their salary, according to Orda.kz.
Критика заставила насторожиться: теперь комментарий в соцсетях может обойтись кыргызстанцам в значительную сумму.

After discussions, the amounts were reduced, but they still remain relatively high. Users who commit violations will be fined up to 20,000 soms (more than 116,000 tenge), while companies will face fines of up to 65,000 soms (over 377,000 tenge).

“20,000 for insults and defamation online is a significant amount; it’s a whole teacher's salary. [...] This is a tax on words. Instead of searching the internet for who said or thought something negative, it would be better to look for criminals and other lawbreakers. In my opinion, law enforcement has enough to do, and the state as a whole does too,” expressed Kyrgyz deputy Dastan Bekeshev.

It will be law enforcement agencies that determine whether a statement is considered defamation or insult. According to the law's authors, it was enacted due to the increase in public insults online.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan faces its own issues. For instance, journalists recently lost their appeal against Minister Aida Balayeva regarding the accreditation rules.