The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch issued a statement ahead of consideration of an appeal by the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan within a criminal case against Gulzhan Pasanova.
Gulzhan Pasanova killed her husband, who was 20 years older than her. The woman said in court that her husband systematically beat her and she hit him with a metal pole in self-defence. In March, the Osh city court found her guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm that resulted in death, and sentenced her to 9 years in prison and a fine of 90,000 soms.
A forensic medical examination she underwent in 2019 showed evidence of previous physical abuse.
The American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, which monitored the hearings, found that Kyrgyzstan’s prosecution of Pasanova entailed serious violations of international human rights standards.
«Gender based violence is a pervasive issue in Kyrgyzstan. This is not the first time courts have handed down long prison sentences to women who have fatally wounded their abusers in self-defence,» HRW says.
Despite positive steps and improved legislation, Kyrgyz authorities do not routinely enforce measures to keep domestic violence victims safe, such as protection orders that limit contact between an abuser and his victim. The years of abuse Pasanova suffered at the hands of her husband show how difficult it can be for some women in Kyrgyzstan to overcome barriers to reporting abuse, including stigma, social pressure, and dismissiveness by authorities. When women do report instances of domestic violence, their abusers are rarely punished.
«Authorities need to take more action to protect women and hold perpetrators accountable to prevent grave violence at home, but when prevention fails a victim of domestic violence should be assured that evidence of self-defence will be given proper weight in any determination of guilt and sentencing,» the human rights defenders say.