Kyrgyzstan’s president has withdrawn a contentious draft bill that has sparked criticism over its potential for restricting freedom of speech. Sadyr Japarov’s press secretary said in a Facebook post on March 13 that the president took the decision to seek a revision of the bill after meeting with the editors of major local publications. The meeting between Japarov and representatives of media outlets was also attended by the head of the security services, Kamchybek Tashiyev, deputy prime minister Edil Baisalov, Prosecutor General Kurmankul Zulushev, and Interior Minister Ulan Niyazbekov. Japar…