Human Rights Movement: Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan releases new report on human rights situation in the country

The “Human Rights Movement: Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan” takes note that during 25 years of independence the civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution are being violated systematically. The government, being a guarantor of the Constitution, does not respond to the situation or perform its obligation to defend rights of its citizens. 

During the last three years the members of parliament and government of the Kyrgyz Republic initiated a number of legislative initiatives aiming at narrowing the political space for the civil society. Many of those initiatives were driven by rapprochement with Russia, joining the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC), which caused copying of the Russian legislation and political technologies aiming at suppression of the civil society and persecution of human rights defenders, journalists and opposition members.

Hostile attitude towards nongovernmental organizations has become quite common in recent years. According to a conclusion made by the School of Peace-building and Media Technologies, “in 4% of the cases during the reporting period LGBT representatives were the targets of hate” in the media field. 2.4% and 2.3% of the hostile messages were about the USA and local NGOs accordingly[1]. 

Kyrgyzstan has ratified the most part of the UN Conventions and optional protocols regarding human rights, however it fails to fulfil its obligations. None of the 664 recommendations made by the UN treaty bodies regarding Kyrgyzstan has been implemented[2], including those on protection of human rights defenders. Reduced funding and departure of donor organizations from Kyrgyzstan also influence civic organizations’ activities, especially in the country regions. The adopted EU strategy on Central Asia, tens of millions of euros provided by the EU to the KR government to finance the “priority areas”[3] create unequal conditions for nongovernmental organizations and government sector in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The referendum on amending the KR Constitution has become another challenge for the civil society. The amendments to the Constitution envisage cancellation of primacy of international legislation over the national one. Some of the norms introduced lead to partial strengthening of the executive branch of government, position of Prime Minister in particular, they also significantly reduce efficiency of the constitutional oversight by making this judicial body a foot soldier unable to make independent decisions on anti-constitutional nature of laws[4]. Therefore, the referendum and adoption of constitutional amendments have negative implications and cause departure from human rights principles and democratic values.