Adilet Bektursunov, a journalist from the network’s Kyrgyz service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, won first place for a television program at the “Access to Justice” contest for outstanding human rights and public service reporting. The contest is organized by Kyrgyzstan’s Public Union of Journalists and the United Nations Development Program.
The competition highlights the theme of access to justice for individuals with disabilities, children, rural women, youth at risk, and ethnic minorities. Adilet Bektursunov won first place in the “Best Stuff on TV” category.
Bektursunov’s report, “Luli — The Fate of the Kyrgyz Roma,” gives viewers an inside look into the lives of the Luli, the gypsies of southern Kyrgyzstan.
RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service is a leading source of independent news and information for its audiences. It was recognized as the country’s most reliable information source on radio in a February 2015 Baltic Surveys poll. According to a November 2014 Gallup survey, it reaches more than 36 percent of the population every week via TV, radio, and digital platforms.