Mirsuljan Namazaaly is a Kyrgyz activist who founded the news agency K-News and the think tank Central Asian Free Market Institute. Namazaaly is a vocal critic of Russia’s rising influence in Kyrgyzstan and a devoted advocate for free speech and rule of law. As a result, he was labeled a “regime enemy” by former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Previously, Namazaaly served as co-founder and co-chair of the Free Generation Alliance, a civil society organization working to promote constitutional and political reform. Namazaaly is also a founding member of the New Media Institute, an independent non-profit organization that promotes free and open societies. He has traveled around Kyrgyzstan educating young people about blogging and freedom of the press.