RFE/RL Radio, TV Broadcasts Taken Off The Air In Kyrgyzstan
''Inconvenient Questions,'' a TV program produced by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known inside the country as Radio Azattyk
December 09, 2008
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have confirmed that RFE/RL radio and television broadcasts have been taken off the air.
"The suspension, which began on October 8, was initially portrayed as a payment dispute, but we have since traced the payments and confirmed deposit and receipt," RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin said in a statement. "Nine weeks have passed. Our programs remain off the air. Kyrgyz officials have refused to meet with us to resolve the situation. Frankly, we expected more from a country trying to prove its reformist credentials in the region."
The director of state-owned UTRK, Melis Eshimkanov, gave his first public acknowledgement of RFE/RL's situation on December 6 after announcing the suspension of the BBC's local service, also on contractual grounds.
UTRK is the only nationwide Kyrgyz-language broadcaster in Kyrgyzstan and has long aired RFE/RL radio broadcasts and prime-time television programs.
RFE/RL said the move could be an indication that Krygyzstan's "brief experiment with pluralism may be ending."