The sixth convocation of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan, having worked for less than a month, is already mired in scandals.
The sixth convocation of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan, having worked for less than a month, is already surrounded by scandals involving representatives of the "fourth estate." Recall that media workers managed to unearth information about the purchase of expensive leather chairs and carpets, which outraged voters. In response, the authorities simply banned many reporters from entering the first parliamentary session, citing their non-compliance with the dress code.
Three journalists - Daria Podolskaya and Yulia Kostenko from the news agency "24.kg," as well as Makhinur Niyazova from the newspaper "Respublika" - were completely barred from the session. It turns out that they were complained about by parliamentarians of the previous convocation, accusing them of incompetent reporting, which led to the reporters being stripped of their accreditation. To the reasonable question of why they were not allowed into parliament, the head of the Jogorku Kenesh apparatus, Radbek YSHMAMBETOV, noted that this is a temporary phenomenon; currently, only those accredited for the fifth convocation are allowed into parliament by his order.
- Previously, the rules for journalists working at sessions of the legislative body consisted of 4 sections; now the document specifies 7. I will not list all the changes. I will focus on some. Three types of accreditation are introduced - parliamentary correspondent, parliamentary correspondent - technical staff, and one-time accreditation for those media workers who are sent by their publications on specific assignments. Quotas are also introduced for each media outlet: for periodic printed publications - 3 people, for television companies - 3 groups of up to 9 people, - he noted.
Media workers also received instructions on the dress code. Yshmambetov noted that clothing, regardless of color, must comply with business style. Otherwise, entry to parliament will be denied. A certain Commission on Journalist Accreditation will deal with "violators" of the rules - a new body consisting of the head of the apparatus, his deputy, members of the press service, and parliament's lawyers.
Meanwhile, within the parliament itself, it is said that no one is actually restricting the rights of those who write and film: media workers are asked to be objective, to remember journalistic ethics, and to adhere to the dress code.
- All media that applied for accreditation to cover the work of the Jogorku Kenesh received it. And those two journalists who were denied accreditation violated the rules by publishing distorted information. Moreover, there is a court ruling regarding one of the materials stating that the information presented in the article is incorrect. The decision regarding the correspondent of IA "24.kg," Daria Podolskaya, was made by the parliament's commission, - explained the speaker Asylbek ZHEENBEKOV to the deputies who tried to defend the correspondents.
However, he himself does not agree with the undemocratic decision made collectively.
- Accreditation is issued according to the regulations developed by the Jogorku Kenesh, and the rules of parliament must be respected, but I do not agree that we are going against journalists. Because the Jogorku Kenesh today is an open platform, - emphasized the speaker.
