The Kyrgyz parliament has approved without debate the third and final reading of a controversial bill that would allow authorities to register organizations as “foreign representatives” in a way that critics say mirrors repressive Russian legislation on “foreign agents,” RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported.
Five lawmakers voted against the bill on March 14. President Sadyr Japarov is expected to sign the bill into law.
Nongovernmental organizations in Kyrgyzstan had called on lawmakers to reject the bill, insisting it merely substitutes the term “foreign representative” for “foreign agent.” Russian authorities have used the law on “foreign agents” to discredit those labeled as such and to stifle dissent.
