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 Last month the print run of two newspapers critical of the Kyrgyz Republic regime were stopped following government intervention.
In the early hours of the morning on 20 April, officers from the State National Safety Committee (GKNB) seized all copies of the newspapers “Kyrgyz Rukhu” and “Agym” at the premises of the printing house, Media Support Center Foundation (MSCF). The MSCF is the only independent printing press in Central Asia. It was established in 2002 under the auspices of Freedom House to provide an alternative venue so that newspapers could print without pre-publication censorship. The aim was also to help create a viable media environment in Kyrgyzstan.  Along with the newspaper’s printed copies, offset plates and electronic files were confiscated. A written order from the Prosecutor General’s Office served as a basis of seizure. 
Along with the newspaper’s printed copies, offset plates and electronic files were confiscated. A written order from the Prosecutor General’s Office served as a basis of seizure. In the view of the incident, the internationally composed Supervisory Board of the printing house issued a letter for the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kurmanbek Bakiev, conveying its concerns. They wrote that “in light of the government’s reaction to demonstrations over the past several days, we fear that the confiscation of independent newspapers may be part of a larger - and increasing - crackdown on opposition voices throughout Kyrgyzstan”. The Kyrgyzstan Media Commissioner, Shamaral Maichiev, made a statement that the actions of the GKNB were illegal, as “according to the existing legislation, abeyance or prohibition of media distribution can be done solely on the basis of a court decision”. A number of media outlets, including highly-visited web portals, published information about the confiscation of newspapers and reprinted the letter. They also approached the Prosecutor General for comments. He stated that he “did not know who confiscated the newspapers and what the newspapers were”. On May 3, the newly-appointed Kyrgyz Republic Prime Minister, Almazbek Atambaev, visited the printing house to mark the International Press Freedom Day. In his speech, Atambaev made a point that he regretted that the confiscation had taken place and promised that it would never happen again. There have been no further unlawful actions registered since that time.
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