18:05
USD 89.51
EUR 96.93
RUB 0.97

UN Human Rights Committee to review Kyrgyzstan’s human rights record

The United Nations Human Rights Committee will review Kyrgyzstan’s human rights record at its upcoming session in Geneva, which starts on October 10, 2022. IPHR reports.

The Committee will assess Kyrgyzstan’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and adopt conclusions and recommendations based on the third periodic report about the implementation of the covenant submitted by Kyrgyzstan’s government, as well as other information, including NGO reports.

International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Legal Prosperity Foundation (LPF) and CIVICUS have prepared a joint report for the review. The joint report focuses on the protection of the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as well as civic space in Kyrgyzstan. It draws on regular updates on Kyrgyzstan prepared by IPHR and LPF as part of their cooperation with CIVICUS Monitor, a unique CIVICUS initiative to track civic space worldwide.

Human rights activists note a number of problems in the protection of fundamental freedoms in the republic, in particular increasing attempts by the authorities to control the media environment and suppress discussion on issues of public interest.

This trend has been reinforced since President Sadyr Japarov’s rise to power and the adoption of a controversial new constitution, which significantly expanded the president’s powers while weakening checks and balances.

Human rights activists note increasing intimidation and harassment of journalists, bloggers, civil society activists, lawyers and others who criticise the authorities and speak out on corruption and other issues that are sensitive to those in power. It is of particular concern that a growing number of critics of the authorities have been subjected to surveillance, searches of their homes, detention, interrogation and criminal prosecution in apparent retaliation for their journalistic and civic activities.

The report points out that the fight against disinformation is being used to stifle dissent.

«A new law on the protection against ‘’false’’ information allows authorities to arbitrarily block access to online resources, and outspoken bloggers have been summoned, warned and — in some cases — prosecuted under vaguely worded criminal law provisions for allegedly distributing ‘’false’’ information on social media. Defamation lawsuits are used as a tool to put pressure on the media and journalists,» the document says.

Government officials and other influential people have sued media outlets and journalists, who have exposed corruption and reported critically about them, and demanded excessive compensation for alleged damages.

From the report of international human rights activists for the UN Human Rights Committee

Experts highlight introduction of a new unjustified and discriminatory financial reporting scheme for NGOs. Civil society is also concerned about the fact that some decision-makers and their supporters have called for resuming consideration of a repressive and stigmatizing ‘’foreign agents’’ draft law, which parliament previously rejected in 2016.

The report also notes the hostile rhetoric of those who insist on stricter control of non-governmental organizations. NGOs have, for example, been accused of threatening national security and undermining so-called traditional values, which has fueled mistrust and suspicion against such organizations. There have also been attacks on NGOs by unidentified perpetrators acting with impunity.

«A series of court-imposed blanket bans on peaceful protests in the centre of the capital, issued in violation of national and international guarantees of the right to assembly. These include recent bans on peaceful protests against Russia’s war in Ukraine outside the Russian embassy and in other central areas of Bishkek,» the report says.

Human rights activists also noted that in some cases the police have also failed to take adequate measures in response to third-party attacks on participants in peaceful assemblies, such as women’s rights marches.

Unjustified restrictions on the work of media, access to information, and the rights of detainees during the COVID-19 pandemic. These violations were documented during the emergency regimes, which were introduced in response to the outbreak of the pandemic.

The report also notes the failure to properly and impartially investigate the use of violence by law enforcement authorities and other actors in connection with the post-election protests in October 2020. There has also been no accountability for attacks on journalists who were covering these events.

The Human Rights Committee is a body made up of independent experts tasked with overseeing the implementation of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights by its state parties. All states parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights protected by the covenant are being implemented. Kyrgyzstan ratified the ICCPR in 1994, and the Committee previously reviewed the implementation of the covenant in this country in 2000 and 2014 based on periodic reports from its government, as well as other information.

Popular