Parliament committee approves draft law banning geological exploration and mining of uranium deposits in Kyrgyzstan

AKIPRESS.COM - Parliament committee for agrarian policy considered and approved the draft law banning geological exploration and mining of uranium and thorium deposits in Kyrgyzstan in the first reading.
The draft law proposes to ban geological exploration and mining of uranium and thorium deposits, as well as development of radioactive tailing dumps, mining dumps and their transfer to individuals for the purpose of further development and maintenance.
Additionally, the draft law proposes to ban import of uranium and thorium-containing raw materials and waste into the territory of Kyrgyzstan.
The bill was developed in response to recent public discontent: Issyk-Kul residents protested against the development of uranium since December last year and several big protests took place in Bishkek and Issyk-Kul region in April 2019 pushing the authorities to ban any uranium mining and exploration activities.
The President, Parliament and Prime Minister spoke for banning exploration and mining of uranium deposits in Kyrgyzstan.