Kyrgyz opposition newspaper seized before protest

* Paper seized on the eve of anti-government protest

* Opposition, rights groups say govt cracks down on media

By Olga Dzubenko

BISHKEK, March 16 (Reuters) - Police in Kyrgyzstan have seized all copies of an opposition newspaper before a planned anti-government rally in the Central Asian country, the paper's owner said on Tuesday.

Opposition forces plan to hold a protest in the capital Bishkek on Wednesday to capitalise on rising public discontent over an economic slump in the poor ex-Soviet republic, which hosts Russian and U.S. air bases.

Police confiscated all copies of the newspaper Forum that contained information about the planned rally and an interview with an opposition politician, Forum editor-in-chief Ryskeldi Mombekov said.

"The print run of 7,000 copies has been seized," he told Reuters.

The Interior Ministry declined comment.

Several websites critical of the government have been inaccessible in Kyrgyzstan in recent days, drawing opposition complaints. The government has denied blocking them.

U.S.-based rights group Freedom House said the government was also putting pressure on broadcasters.

"Once considered a regional leader on issues of freedom of expression, the Kyrgyz government has begun putting pressure on independent media organisations, leading to increased self-censorship," Freedom House said in a statement on Monday.

Opponents say Bakiyev, who came to power in 2005 after street protests toppled his predecessor, has tightened his grip on power and failed to alleviate poverty and corruption.

In a rare move, Russia, which usually refrains from criticising Bakiyev, also raised the issue of website access on Tuesday, saying it was "concerned" some Russian websites were unavailable in Kyrgyzstan. (Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Charles Dick)