Kyrgyzstan Sets Date For Public Debate Of Controversial Bill On 'Foreign Representatives'

The Kyrgyz parliament's committee on legal issues preliminarily approved on October 10 a controversial bill on "foreign representatives" and set October 17 as the date of public debates in the parliament by NGOs, public figures, and lawmakers of the bill, which many in Central Asian nation call a "replica" of Russia's repressive law on "foreign agents." In September, some 120 nongovernmental groups urged the Kyrgyz parliament and the Supreme Council to reject adoption of the bill, which would allow authorities to register organizations that receive financial support from abroad as "foreign representatives." To see the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.