Kyrgyzstan

The ethnic conflicts that broke out in the spring of 2010 between the country’s Kyrgyz majority and Uzbek minority are symptomatic of deep divisions within Kyrgyzstan’s fractured society. The resulting fear and self-censorship created a vacuum of Uzbek-language media and left both communities without access to objective information about issues of mutual concern. Internews launched a multi-language TV and radio production studio in Osh (the epicenter of the violence) that broadcasts in both Kyrgyz and Uzbek. The station trains and employs local journalists of all ethnicities to work side by side. Internews also is assisting in transforming Kyrgyzstan’s state controlled broadcaster into a public broadcast system, and helping the media community prepare for the upcoming transition to digital broadcasting.