Kyrgyz Minister Orders Probe Into Foreign-Funded NGOs
January 24, 2006
24 January 2006 -- Kyrgyz Justice Minister Marat Kaiypov has ordered a probe into the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive funding from abroad.
Kaiypov said today it is necessary to define which of these groups represent what he called a threat to national security.
Kyrgyzstan has been the most open of the Central Asian republics to foreign-funded NGOs. Their presence was seen as an important factor in galvanizing the protests that ousted former President Askar Akaev in March 2005.
The leader of the Kyrgyz Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, Edil Baisalov, criticized the order. He said today's announcement signals the strengthening of authoritarian trends in the presidential administration.
(AP, Interfax)