The Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic has published a draft resolution concerning the procedure for the registration of mass media. This document, titled "On the Approval of the Regulation on the Procedure for the Registration of Mass Media in the Kyrgyz Republic," is currently available for public discussion.
The main goal of developing this draft is to implement the provisions of the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Mass Media." It aims to create an orderly and transparent mechanism for the state registration of media.
The justification for the draft states that it has been prepared in accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 34 of the media law. According to this paragraph, the Cabinet of Ministers was given six months to align its regulatory acts with the new provisions of the law.
This draft represents a subordinate regulatory act that regulates the relationships arising in the process of state registration of media. In particular, it defines:
- the procedure for the registration, re-registration, and termination of the activities of mass media;
- the legal status of individuals submitting applications;
- the competence of the authorized state body;
- the timelines and grounds for making administrative decisions.
The document implies a differentiated approach to media registration based on their type, method of distribution, and frequency of publication. As noted by the Ministry of Justice, this aligns with the principle of technological neutrality and the current realities of the media sphere.
Furthermore, the draft describes the procedure for making changes to the founding data of media, such as name, language, distribution territory, composition of founders, and thematic focus.
The ministry emphasizes that the adoption of the new regulation will contribute to ensuring legality and legal certainty, as well as simplifying law enforcement practices, while not restricting the constitutional rights of citizens, including freedom of speech and the dissemination of information.
