BISHKEK -- A court in Bishkek has ordered the Kyrgyz Ministry Of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policies to produce documents relating to its decision to block the local-language websites of RFE/RL.
At a preliminary hearing on January 26 at Bishkek's Administrative Court, the judge ruled in favor of a motion by RFE/RL to see the documents in a lawsuit brought by the broadcaster over the move by Kyrgyz authorities to block Radio Azattyk's websites in Kyrgyz and Russian in late October after the media outlet refused to take down a video about deadly clashes along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.
At the end of the brief hearing, the judge adjourned the proceedings until February 17.
The video in question was produced by Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice of America. Officials of the Central Asian state have claimed that the authors of the video "predominantly" took the position of the Tajik side.
The authorities have said the decision to block Radio Azattyk's websites was based on the Law on Protection from False Information, legislation that drew widespread criticism when it was adopted in August 2021.
Also on January 26, the Bishkek City Court held another preliminary hearing into RFE/RL's appeal against a court decision to freeze Radio Azattyk's bank account in Kyrgyzstan in November at the request of the State Committee for National Security (UKMK).
At that hearing, the court agreed with the motion by RFE/RL's lawyers to bring to the hearing investigator Ulan Japekov of the Interior Ministry, whose group concluded that Radio Azattyk's bank account must be frozen. The court then adjourned the hearing until February 2.
SEE ALSO: Almost 30 Rights Watchdogs Demand Kyrgyz Authorities Unblock RFE/RL's WebsitesAfter Radio Azattyk's bank account in Bishkek was frozen in November, Kyrgyz authorities suspended the accreditation of 11 RFE/RL correspondents at parliament.
Three days before the hearings, the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policies informed RFE/RL that it had asked a court in Bishkek to halt all of RFE/RL's media operations in the country. The court said later in the day that it will address the request on February 8.
RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Fly has rejected the ministry's request and characterized the government's moves as "continued unlawful attacks against Radio Azattyk and our independent reporting."
"We will pursue all available legal means to preserve our operations in the country. We will continue to serve our loyal Kyrgyz audiences no matter what actions the Kyrgyz government takes," Fly said in a statement published on January 23.
Dozens of media organizations, domestic and international rights groups, Kyrgyz politicians, and lawmakers have urged the government to unblock Radio Azattyk's websites.
"Shutting down Azattyk Media would be a huge blow to media freedom in Kyrgyzstan and the lawsuit should be immediately withdrawn," Syinat Sultanalieva, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on January 26.
"The government needs to end its attempts to control and censor independent journalism in Kyrgyzstan and restore its commitment to international human rights obligations, particularly to media freedom."