In Kyrgyzstan, two two-day training sessions were held for journalists and journalism students.
From 19 to 20 November in Osh and 21 to 22 November in Bishkek, training sessions were held for journalists and journalism students to impart human rights knowledge and increase their capacity to report on human rights.
Journalists and the media play an important role in holding governments to account, being a check on power, and upholding democracy.
This is true in Kyrgyzstan, where media companies have undertaken investigative reporting and released stories on corruption within the government. However, there are still opportunities for improvement in the reporting of human rights, including gender equality, non-discrimination, and environmental rights.
The trainings began with a discussion on the importance of journalism to human rights and democracy. Together, a specialist researcher of the Max Planck Foundation and a senior Kyrgyz journalist presented on the topics of human rights, non-discrimination, gender equality, and environmental rights, including how these standards can be applied, upheld, and advanced through the media. The trainers jointly conducted practical exercises, including to develop stories that identified international obligations and national obligations and how they would uphold journalistic standards or other ethical considerations while investigating and reporting these stories.
The participants actively engaged in the exercises and robust discussions. Participants were particularly interested in discussing mechanisms that can be used to hold governments to account. Following the discussion, participants remarked that it had been an inspiring training.
The proceedings were part of the project ‘Monitoring for Justice – Strengthening Civil Society in Promoting Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan‘, generously supported by the European Union.