Kyrgyz president responds to US Secretary of State's warnings

Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev has met with US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Lesslie Viguerie.

Kulubaev conveyed a message from Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in response to a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, TASS reports citing the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry.

“Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev received US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Lesslie Viguerie on February 9, 2024. During the meeting, the minister conveyed a response message from Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The answers about the internal political situation and democratic processes in the country were given. However, the content of Japarov’s letter was not indicated,” the message said.

According to the message, a few days ago, Blinken sent a letter to the Kyrgyz president, in which he urged to pay attention to the bill on non-profit organisations, which is currently being considered in the country’s parliament. He thinks that if this document is adopted, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) may be brought to criminal liability.

In the letter, Blinken stated that the law threatens Kyrgyz citizens' access to vital services such as health care and education through programmes run by NGOs through the support from the US government and international partners. Some US partners think about ceasing their activity in Kyrgyzstan due to the possible passage of the bill, the message said.

Currently, a bill regarding the activity of NGOs is being discussed in the Kyrgyz parliament. The bill envisages the granting of the status of “foreign representative” and inclusion in a special register of organisations that are financed from abroad and are engaged in political activity. It is proposed to introduce criminal liability, namely,  imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine for the creation of organisations that infringe on the personality and rights of the country’s citizens.