BISHKEK. July 12 (Interfax) - Azattyk Media, the Kyrgyz service of Radio Liberty (designated as a foreign agent in Russia) and the Kyrgyz Culture Ministry have concluded an amicable agreement and the corresponding judicial proceedings have been dropped, the Bishkek City Court said on Thursday.
"A representative of the Kyrgyz Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy Ministry filed a request at a hearing that an amicable agreement concluded between the Culture Ministry and Azattyk Media be endorsed," the court said.
The judicial board for civil and economic cases granted the ministry's request and reversed the April 27 judgment by the Leninsky District Court of Bishkek. The proceedings have been terminated due to the endorsement of an amicable agreement between the parties to the case, it said.
The Culture Ministry said Azattyk Media has removed materials containing inaccurate information on a border conflict from all of its resources, and therefore the judicial proceedings were terminated.
On September 16, 2022, the Culture Ministry identified a video on the Current Time website (an Azattyk Media subsidiary designated as a foreign agent in Russia) containing "elements of hate speech and unconfirmed information." The media outlet ignored the demand that the video be deleted, which led to the website being blocked. As reported later, Azattyk Media's bank accounts were blocked as well.
The Culture Ministry told Interfax on January 23 that it had filed a motion with the Leninsky District Court in Bishkek to shut down Azattyk Media as a media outlet.
The ministry said that Azattyk Media had ignored the demand that it remove a video on the conflict on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in September 2022.
The ministry interpreted Azattyk Media's actions as being "in breach of the Law on Mass Media, Article 23 of which prohibits the promotion of war, violence and cruelty, ethnic or religious exceptionalism, and intolerance towards other peoples and nations."
The Leninsky District Court of Bishkek ruled on April 27 to grant the Culture Ministry's motion and close down Azattyk Media.