U.S. English Foundation Research
KYRGYZSTAN
Language Research
1. Legislation: Legislation dealing with the use of languages
The Constitution, adopted on May 5, 1993
Later amended in 1996, in Article 5, declares Kyrgyz “the state language of the Republic”. It also provides Russian with the status of a language for interethnic communication, guarantees the rights of individuals to choose language freely and the protection of languages of all ethnic groups living in the country.
Law of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic on the State Language of the Kyrgyz SSR (September 23, 1989)
“The law establishes Kyrgyz language as a state language. It contains 40 Articles dealing with the rights of citizens to choose/use language and guarantees for protection of such rights, establishing frameworks for operation of the state language in public authorities, enterprises, and institutions, in spheres of education, science and culture, administration of justice; and regulates use of language in names and mass media. Russian is provided with the status of the language of interethnic communication; however, it also can be used in all above-mentioned spheres.”
Resolution on Entering into Force of the Law of the Kyrgyz SSR on State Language of the Kyrgyz SSR, (September 23, 1989)
“Provides for the procedure of entering into force of the Law. Sets the special terms in respect to operation of the state language:
1) 1989-1998 - transitional period, when Russian and other languages can be used together with the state language
2) January 1, 1999 - full operation of the state language
Obliges Council of Ministers to allocate special funds for the financing arrangements, foreseen by the language policy, to create conditions for learning the state language, to start issuing documents in the state language, etc. “
Decree #120 on Measures on Migration Processes Regulation in the Kyrgyz Republic, (June 14, 1994)
“Recognizes the language issue as one of the reasons of emigration, therefore, provides Russian with the status of official language in those entities, where majority of members are Russian-speakers, also in those spheres, where use of Russian is “inevitable”.
Obliges the Government to reconsider the staff recruitment policy with the aim of fair representation of Russian-speaking population in the governmental agencies, administrations of public enterprises and institutions; to reconsider the schedule of switching to the state language in public administration, etc.”
Decision on Amending Article 5 of the Constitution of Kyrgyz Republic, (June 6, 1996)
“Gives the opinion on possibility of amending Article 5 of the Constitution in order to provide the status of official language to Russian.”
Decree #21 on Further Development of the State Language of the Kyrgyz Republic, (January 20,1998)
“Introduces a new concept of development of the state language with the creation of the special agency for its implementation - National Commission on the State Language under the auspices of the President, establishes the Fund for Development of the State Language, obliges the Government to allocate money for that in the republican budget.”
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Updated (May 2000)
The Russian language has been assigned the status of official language by the Parliament. This measure intended to widen the legislative basis for the Russian speaking community and seemed to be aimed at the prevention of out-migration of ethnic Russians. The president Akayev stated “Russian will be more that merely official language of the Kyrgyz Republic, but rather the language for inter-ethnic communication, as well as a keystone for the integration of the Republic into the world community and a guarantee of the country's peace and prosperity in the next century.”
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Updated (January 2001)
Although in the year 2000 a new Language Law was adopted making Russian the official language of the Republic there is still tension between ethnic groups in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz is a rich, ancient language but through the Soviet times it was relegated to the second place position. The adoption of 1989 law made Kyrgyz the state language. The intention was that intellectual and political life in the Republic should be slowly switched into Kyrgyz. The celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the language law in fall 1999 clearly showed, however, that this intention was not fulfilled and many Kyrgyz themselves remained more comfortable with the Russian language in their workplace.
The Russian language law has won plaudits of the Russian speakers, but at the same time it has generated a strong reaction from Kyrgyz nationalists who worried about the fate of their language.
The controversy surrounded the presidential candidates' registration process requiring them to demonstrate proficiency in the Kyrgyz language. For the elections in October 2000 twenty politicians declared their intentions to register as candidates, yet most had been disqualified by the CEC (Central Electoral Commission) by the September 23 registration deadline. An often-cited reason for disqualification was the failure of potential candidates to pass the Kyrgyz language proficiency test.
In conducting the language proficiency test, officials have cited Article 61 of Kyrgyzstan Electoral Code, which states that each candidate should demonstrate his or her “ability to read, write, express thoughts/ideas and make public speeches in the state language.” This provision seems to directly contradict the Kyrgyz Constitution, which forbids (Article 5.3) the denial of citizens' rights “based upon lack of knowledge or command of the state language.”
The 2000 presidential campaign was the first occasion in which the test has been used. No attention was paid to this regulation during previous presidential contests in 1990, 1991, and 1995.
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Updated (October 2001)
The Legislative Assembly of Kyrgyzstan has started a discussion on the amendments to the Constitution passed by the upper chamber of the Parliament several days ago, which proposed that Russian language should have an official status in the country.
Some deputies proposed that Russian should be considered a second state language rather than the official one. On the contrary, other sectors manifested that if any language might become official this privilege should belong to Uzbek because approximately 14% of the Kyrgyz population speak Uzbek, whereas the percentage of Russian speakers decreased to 13%.
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Updated (October 2002)
On December 24, 2001 President Akaev signed the amendments to the Constitution approved by both chambers of the Parliament earlier that year thus making Russian the official language in the country.
Source: Minelres Archive, http://lists.delfi.lv/pipermail/minelres/, RFE/RL Newsline, January 2002
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Updated (March 2004)
THE KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT ADOPTS THE LANGUAGE LAW
The Legislative Assembly on February 12 adopted a controversial Law on the Use of the State Language that had been originally proposed by the State Secretary, Osmonakun Ibraimov. The law requires all state employees to be competent in the Kyrgyz language so they could use it to conduct their daily tasks. It also gives Kyrgyz a status of language of interethnic communication, which was previously reserved only for Russian.
According to a parliamentarian, Kabai Karabekov, this law is unconstitutional, violates citizens' human rights and has a clearly discriminatory character.
On February 16, 2004 an incident occurred in the Kyrgyz Legislative Assembly when several members walked out of a parliamentary session to protest against a draft law submitted by the government in Russian, which still has an official status in Kyrgyzstan.
An opposition parliamentarian, Azimbek Beknazarov, refused to look at the draft law and he said he would not return to the chamber until the government provided that drafts also in Kyrgyz.
Source: Minelres News, http://lists.delfi.lv/pipermail/minelres/2004-February/003210.html, RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 29, 30 Part I, February 13, 14, 2004
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Updated (April 2004)
BROADCASTING LEGISLATION
In Kyrgyzstan the media operate according to THE LAW ON MASS MEDIA (June 2, 1992), which protects the freedom of speech in general. The media; however, are also regulated by other normative acts which sometimes limit the field of application of the Law on the Mass Media.
Article 23
Propaganda of national and religious supremacy and intolerance of other peoples and nations; the distribution of materials violating the norms of civil and national ethics is prohibited (it is also prohibited by Article 10 of the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic on Guarantees and Freedom of the Access to Information of December 5, 1997), as well as the abuse of the civil honor of the peoples.
THE LAW ON THE STATE LANGUAGE
Article 32
Signs, advertisements, advertising, price lists and other visual information are written in the state and Russian languages. Oral information is first given in the state and then in the Russian language.
THE LAW OF THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC ON ADVERTISING (December 24, 1998)
Article 5 (3)
Advertising in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic is disseminated in the Kyrgyz and Russian languages and, at the discretion of advertisers additionally, in the languages of the peoples living in the Kyrgyz Republic.
THE STANDING ORDER ON THE STATE BROADCASTING CORPORATION OF KYRGYZSTAN (approved by the Decree of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic of May 16, 1998)
Clause 4
The main goals of the Corporation are to satisfy educational and spiritual needs of the population of the Republic, to develop and promote mutual understanding between the cultures, languages and traditions of the ethnic groups living in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Source: Minority-language Related Broadcasting and Legislation in the OSCE, Program in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP), Center for Socio-Legal Studies, Wolfson College, Oxford University & Institute for Information Law (IViR) (http://www.ivir.nl/index-english.html), Universiteit van Amsterdam (Study commissioned by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities), April 2003, edited by T. McGonagle (IViR), B. Davis Noll & M. Price (PCMLP), http://www.ivir.nl/publications/mcgonagle/Minority-language%20broadcasting.pdf
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Updated (May 2004)
THE KYRGYZ PRESIDENT SIGNS A NEW LANGUAGE LAW
On April 2, 2004 the President Akaev signed a new legislation intended to bolster the status of the Kyrgyz language. He stressed that the new law will not impinge on the status of Russian or on the rights of Russian speakers.
The President is convinced that this law will significantly broaden the use of the Russian language because it constantly emphasizes the principle of bilingualism. Kyrgyz remains to be the state language and also Russian has an official status in all spheres of life.
Source: RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 63, Part I, April 5, 2004, http://lists.delfi.lv/pipermail/minelres/2004-April/003297.html
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Updated (September 2007)
EDUCATION MINISTRY HAS REVOKED ITS DECISION TO REDUCE HOURS DEDICATED TO MINORITY–LANGUAGE CLASSES
Education Ministry has revoked its decision to reduce the hours assigned to ethnic minority languages in the school curriculum, following an outcry from Uzbek community leaders.
The decree, published in the teachers' newspaper Kutbilim in June, simply stated that lessons in the Kyrgyz language would be increased by two hours at the expense of Uzbek– and Tajik–language classes in schools where the language of instruction is Uzbek or Tajik. It did not apply to mainstream schools where teaching is in Kyrgyz and to schools that use Russian as the language of instruction.
Ethnic minority leaders, particularly among the Uzbek community1 in the south, were incensed at what they saw as an diminution of their cultural rights. But when a member of Parliament, Davran Sabirov, raised the issue with Education Minister, Kanybek Osmonaliev, on behalf of Uzbeks, there was considerable doubt about who had given the instructions.
Even as the Ministry was distancing itself from the measure, local education officials were trying to justify it. Chyrmash Dooronov, head of the education for the Jalalabad region in southern Kyrgyzstan, pointed to recent amendments passed in parliament which require the state only to provide language teaching in Kyrgyz and two foreign languages. This is a change from the previous requirement to encourage people to learn Kyrgyz and Russian as well as other indigenous languages.
In regard to this, Sabirov agreed that learning Kyrgyz was a good thing, adding that cutting Uzbek classes to make room for it would have a damaging effect on the community's sense of identity.
Education officials in Jalalabad and Osh, regions with a substantial Uzbek population, said the order had actually been prompted by pleas from members of the community for better Kyrgyz–language provision.
The Tajik community, which numbers around 40,000, have some schools where teaching is at least partly in their language. Bahromjon Marasulov, head of the Tajik cultural centre in Jalalabad, explained the situation by saying that Tajik children mostly go to Russian or Uzbek–language schools. Therefore, they were trying to achieve at least some optional Tajik classes for their children there. But with this measure it would not be possible, he added.
The situation has changed after the summer break in the Kyrgyz Parliament – a group of deputies convinced the Minister of Education that the measure was wrong. And on 4 September, a new order restored Uzbek– and Tajik–language classes, and introduced two extra hours a week of the Kyrgyz language as a replacement for other subjects.
Ethnic issues are always a sensitive political issue in Kyrgyzstan, especially in the south, given the size of the Uzbek population there and its proximity to Uzbekistan, with which diplomatic relations are often troubled. Some damage has already been done to public confidence in central government's commitment to diversity. Minority leaders who already felt that their schools had second–class status saw the move to downgrade secondary languages as a conspiracy.
Teachers from three schools in Jalalabad mounted a demonstration outside the mayor's office in protest at the cut in language classes, and wider protests were planned, as well as an emergency meeting of Uzbek cultural organizations across the country. However, the threat of further action was defused when the second decree reversing the changes was adopted.
Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Reporting Central Asia, September 7, 2007 by Abdumomun Mamaraimov http://www.iwpr.net/?p=rca&s=f&o=338528&apc_state=henh
- The country's second largest ethnic group which accounts for between 700,000 and a million people or from 15 to 20 percent of the population
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