Kyrgyz parliamentary committee backs “foreign agent” bill

A Kyrgyz parliamentary committee has backed a draft bill that would introduce the notion of “foreign agent” into the country’s legislation, mirroring a similar law in Russia which has been used to silence government critics.  

According to the draft, anyone who gets funding from abroad and engages in political activity can be deemed a “foreign agent”. The bill describes political activity as participation in “actions aimed at changing government policies and influencing public opinion”. 

Presenting the draft at a meeting of the Law and Order committee on 3 October, one of its initiators, MP Nadira Narmatova, said the activities of foreign-funded nonprofit organisations in the country went against the Kyrgyz people’s national values.  

She said they promote LGBT, and because of their influence Kyrgyz women “refuse to pour tea [for their husbands]”, and “schoolchildren have no respect for teachers”. 

“This bill must not be seen as something negative. We simply want stability in the country, so that everyone acts within the law and the Constitution, and in a responsible way,” Narmatova said. 

The bill was backed by the six members of the committee who attended the meeting. No date has been set for the start of parliamentary debates on the bill.   The bill has been harshly criticised by Kyrgyz civil society. According to legal experts, it is an almost exact copy of the similar Russian law, which the Russian authorities have used to shut down effectively all independent human rights groups and media in the country.

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