Kyrgyzstan bans online porn in crackdown on internet freedoms

Kyrgyzstan has banned access to online pornography and imposed state control over internet traffic under new laws signed by President Sadyr Japarov, his office said on Tuesday.

Japarov’s office said the ban on pornography is to “protect moral and ethical values” in mostly Muslim Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous Central Asian country of 7 million people which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The legislation requires internet providers to block websites based on decisions by the ministry of culture. Violators will face fines.

Once Central Asia’s most democratic country, Kyrgyzstan has seen increasing pressure on opposition groups and independent media since Japarov, a populist and nationalist, swept to power on a wave of protests in 2020.

He has made the protection of what he calls traditional Kyrgyz values a centrepiece of his agenda.

Also on Tuesday, Japarov signed a decree imposing a state monopoly on international internet traffic.

Under the decree, state-owned telecoms company ElCat will become Kyrgyzstan’s sole provider of international internet traffic for a year-long trial period, starting on August 15.

All other Kyrgyz telecom operators will be required to transfer their contracts for international bandwidth to ElCat within two months.

Bishkek-based political analyst Emil Juraev told Reuters: “This decision only adds to the growing role of the state at the expense of market freedom in Kyrgyzstan.”

The move comes ahead of a parliamentary election due in 2026, and a presidential poll due in 2027. Japarov, whose allies dominate the legislature, has indicated he will run again.