Relatives of detained in the so-called Kempir-Abad case held a peaceful rally near the Pervomaisky Court building in Bishkek. They demand open court hearings.
According to them, every hearing is held in violation of laws and the judicial process, and the demands of lawyers and defendants to comply with all these norms leads to the fact that some defendants are excluded from the process. Holding of hearings without defendants and lawyers is a gross violation of the law.
Relatives emphasize that their only demand is to hold open hearings.
«If our relatives really are «especially dangerous criminals,» why don’t the authorities conduct the process openly? Let them prove their guilt to all the people. Openness is a guarantee of a fair trial. We are confident that the trials are being held behind closed doors for one sole purpose — to hide from the public the lack of evidence of their guilt in the case,» they believe.
The next court hearing was supposed to take place today, but due to the absence of two lawyers it did not take place. Lawyer Erkin Sadanbekov told about it to 24.kg news agency.
«In accordance with Article 51 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the participation of a lawyer in criminal proceedings is mandatory when a person is accused of a particularly serious crime. Since the defendants in the Kempir-Abad case are accused of a particularly serious crime, it is impossible to conduct the trial without a defense attorney,» he said.
The Committee for protection of Kempir-Abad reservoir was created on October 22, 2022. It includes activists, politicians and MPs. Mass arrests began on October 23. Authorities placed 27 people in jail on charges of preparing for riots. Currently, 9 people remain in custody.
A number of international human rights organizations such as the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC), the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), Freedom Now and others issued a statement calling for the immediate release of politicians and activists arrested in Kyrgyzstan.
