«I was very surprised by the MPs’ quotes and references to the UK law when discussing the draft law on foreign agents,» British Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Nic Bowler said at a press conference today.
According to him, the content of the British law cannot be compared to the content of the Kyrgyz law. The key difference is that no one forces non-profit organizations that receive funds from foreign countries to register as foreign agents.
«We don’t have specialists who specifically, in detail, study the activities of NGOs and their funding,» Nic Bowler stressed.
On October 25, the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan adopted in the first reading changes to the Law on NGOs and the Criminal Code, initiated by Nadira Narmatova and a group of deputies, which provide for the introduction of the concept of «foreign representative» (analogue to a foreign agent in Russian legislation).
A petition has been created demanding the introduction of personal sanctions and visa restrictions for deputies promoting the law on foreign agents and their close relatives. It was posted on Change.org website.
Source: 24.kg News Agency