BISHKEK, December 12 (RIA Novosti)-The president of the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan has ordered a deputy premier to act to end a bitter scandal that has embroiled the country's largest independent television station, a senior official said Monday.
The building housing the station, Pyramid, has been at the center of a storm since Friday, when a group of individuals identified themselves as the new owners and said they were intending to make the channel more entertainment-oriented than independent. They also said they were going to fire some journalists. The drama continued when unknown individuals attempted to break though the company's office doors on Friday night, and only rights activists and members of parliament managed to prevent them.
The administration official said that President Kurambek Bakiyev had instructed Deputy Prime Minister Adakhan Madurmarov to take the appropriate measures to resolve the situation around the channel, which broadcasts in both Kyrgyz and Russian. "If it turns out that someone's rights were infringed upon, then all the issues should be decided in the courts," the official said.
Meanwhile, Pyramid staff members have announced they will protest and have promised to take to the streets if the authorities fail to act to protect them. The journalists themselves want to take the matter to court.
