Kyrgyz government seeking to shut down radio station

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek has rescheduled for March 15 the hearing of a request by the country’s Culture Ministry to close down Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s local branch, called Radio Azattyk. The radio station’s website was blocked in Kyrgyzstan in October 2022, over a video report about clashes on the Kyrgyz/Tajik border in the Batken region. According to the Culture Ministry, the coverage violates Kyrgyz media law, which bans war propaganda and content that promotes violence and intolerance towards other peoples and nations. The case has been condemned as an attack on press freedom in Kyrgyzstan. The adjournment was decided Thursday.