Kyrgyzstan's President Signs Hefty Fines for Online Defamation into Law

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov has signed a law establishing fines for defamation and insults on the internet, reports Orda.kz.

Violators face substantial monetary penalties that could amount to a significant portion of their salary.

According to Kloop, the law will take effect in 10 days. The initial proposal called for even stricter penalties — up to 100,000 soms for individuals and 200,000 some for legal entities.

While the final amounts were reduced following discussions, they remain considerable: 20,000 soms and 65,000 some, respectively.

20,000 for insults and defamation on the internet is a huge amount, it's an entire teacher's salary. [...] This is a tax on speech. Instead of searching the internet for who said or thought something bad, it would be better to look for criminals and other law breakers. In my opinion, law enforcement agencies and the state as a whole have better things to do, protested Kyrgyz deputy Dastan Bekeshev.

Law enforcement agencies will determine whether a statement constitutes defamation or insult.

According to the law's drafters, its adoption was prompted by increased public insults on the internet.

Original Author: Alina Pak