AKIPRESS.COM - OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović called on the authorities in Kyrgyzstan not to impose disproportionate and excessive fines for civil defamation, following a recent ruling in a defamation case in the country involving a public figure.

In early December, Dayirbek Orunbekov, Editor-in-Chief of Maalymat.kg, was ordered to pay two million som to the President of Kyrgyzstan for insulting his honour and dignity, following a ruling in the Chui regional appeals court.

“Excessive fines imposed on journalists and media outlets as a means of protecting the head of a state can lead to self-censorship,” Mijatović said. “Disproportionate and high fines are detrimental to freedom of the media.”

The court ruling came after a story published in 2014 on Maalymat.kg on the 2010 events in the south of Kyrgyzstan, in which responsibility for the incidents was placed with members of the then interim government. The verdict can be appealed to the Supreme Court.

“Authorities should set limits for fines in defamation cases,” Mijatović said. “Public officials must exercise great restraint when faced with critical reporting and tolerate a higher degree of criticism then ordinary citizens.”