On June 16, 2011, the Kyrgyz parliament passed a bill that bans the Ferghana Information Agency’s web site (better known as Ferghana.ru) in Kyrgyzstan. Article 30 from the conclusion of the Kyrgyz parliament’s independent commission into the ethnic violence of 2010 proposes:

“Ministry of Culture and Information, Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor General’s Office of the Kyrgyz Republic to take measures on banning Ferghana.ru web site in in the informational space of the country.”

As neweurasia reported earlier, on June 9 the parliament’s commission on last year’s tragic events in the South came up with a proposal to ban for “subjective information on June 2010 clashes. Tokon Mamytov, the head of the parliamentarian commission, wrote:

“The proposal to ban the Ferghana.ru web site was among the proposals that will be included in the final report of the commission on investigation of the April, May and June events of 2010. In the justification of the proposal it is said that this internet resource publishes subjective information on June 2010 clashes,”

Vesti.kg reported that it was the Ar-Namys parliamentary faction’s initiative to ban the web site. Ninety-five MPs voted in favor; none voted against it; and only one abstained..

In the bill, the committee criticized the report by the international Kyrgyzstan Inquiry Commission (KIC), which is headed by Kimmo Kiljunen, and refuted the KIC’s findings that crimes against humanity occurred in June 2010.

I will omit other parts of the bill that also point the blame for the violence on specific Uzbeks who they claim were pushing for Uzbek nationalism, including Kadyrjan Batyrov, one of the leaders of the Uzbeks of Kyrgyzstan, and will move to expert opinions:

“Blocking access to Ferghana would constitute a very shocking attack on one of Kyrgyzstan’s leading independent news media. Ferghana’s coverage of the June 2010 clashes demonstrated an exemplary professionalism and desire to defuse tension. The order recalls the worst period of censorship in Kyrgyzstan. This press freedom violation is all the more unacceptable as Kyrgyzstan aspires to be a regional model of parliamentary democracy.” — Reporters Without Borders

“I condemn the decision. Why do they want to shut it? I’ve never seen anything [nationalistic on it]. I used to read it when I was lived in America. Freedom of speech must be restored.” — Ata-Meken MP Omurbek Abdurakhmanov (to: Fergananews.com).

“Information wars are won or lost not because of a web site was or was not closed on time, but because of the volume of resources including material and intellectual.” — The prime minister’s counselor Farid Niyazov

“If they attempt to block the site, then those people who respect freedom of speech will act to protect the site.” Ata-Maken MP Ravshan Jeenbekov

“I hope that the government will not execute the recommendation of the parliament right away” — Daniil Kislov, Editor-in-chief of Ferghana.ru

The damage has been done. Whatever happens after this cannot change the message that has been sent by those who cannot stomach objective criticism and freedom of speech: the “Island of Democracy” is sinking even further into the waters of nationalism and emotions, and most of all, the lies and manipulations of politicians.

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To note, in March 2010, a few weeks prior to the second Kyrgyz revolution, a few Russian web sites were banned by then-President Kurmanbek Bakiev, including Ferghana.ru. The reason was a flow of critical information on the Bakiyev family’s affiliation with corrupt businessmen, as well as on unrest in Naryn on March 10, 2010.

Meanwhile, Ferghana.ru has been banned in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan since 2005, while Kazakh Internet service providers ban access to it from time to time (when anything critical of President Nazarbaev appears on the web site).