Kyrgyzstan
29.06.01
Urgent Interventions
Kyrgyzstan: Closure of an NGO Office / Arbitrary arrest
URGENT APPEAL – THE OBSERVATORY
KGZ 003 /0106/ OBS 058
Arbitrary arrest / Closure of NGO office
KYRGYZSTAN
29th June 2001
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an FIDH and OMCT venture, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Kyrgyzstan.
Description of the facts :
The Observatory has been informed by the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR) that the KCHR office in the town of Osh was closed down on 27th June 2001, by the regional Osh department of National Security Service (NSS) and that Mr. Normagan Arkabaev, the co-ordinator of the KCHR office in Osh was arrested on the same day.
According to the information received, Mr. Arkabaev is allegedly charged with slander against the urban and district administration, for an article he had written about the illegal appropriation of land by the Director of the National Security Service in Osh region and the corruption of officials. However, his article had not been published due to pressure exerted on the media by the authorities.
Moreover, Mr. Arkabaev’s assistant, Mrs. Gulynara Asanova, has recently been under surveillance by the special services and was summoned to the investigator of the NSS on 28th June.
On 29th June, Mr. Arkabaev was transferred from a temporary detention facility to a pre-trial detention facility and is scheduled to appear before the Prosecutor on 30th June 2001.
The Observatory remains gravely concerned about the continuous harassment to which human rights activists are being subjected in Kyrgyzstan, in particular the KCHR members, which prevents them from being able to effectively engage in their activities.
Actions requested :
Please write to the Kyrgyz authorities demanding that they :
i. free immediately Mr. Arkabaev and drop all the charges against him, since they are arbitrary ;
ii. put an end to all forms of harassment of human rights defenders and their organisations;
iii. ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 19998, in particular its article 1 which provides that “every person has the right, individually or collectively, to promote the protection and fulfilment of human rights and fundamental liberties at the national and international level” and its article 3 according to which “everyone has the right to freely publish, impart pr disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
iv. guarantee the effective respect of fundamental rights and liberties in accordance with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international and regional pacts and covenants ratified by Kyrgyzstan.
Addresses :
The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Askar Akayev, Kyrgyzskaya Respublika, 720003 g. Bishkek, Prospekt Chuy, 205
Fax: + 996 (312) 218 627 ; E-mail:ghpress2@rhl.bishkek.su
Geneva-Paris, 29th June 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken, quoting the reference number given above.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line
Tel : FIDH : +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 ; OMCT : +41 22 809 49 39
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
KGZ 003 /0106/ OBS 058
Arbitrary arrest / Closure of NGO office
KYRGYZSTAN
29th June 2001
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an FIDH and OMCT venture, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Kyrgyzstan.
Description of the facts :
The Observatory has been informed by the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR) that the KCHR office in the town of Osh was closed down on 27th June 2001, by the regional Osh department of National Security Service (NSS) and that Mr. Normagan Arkabaev, the co-ordinator of the KCHR office in Osh was arrested on the same day.
According to the information received, Mr. Arkabaev is allegedly charged with slander against the urban and district administration, for an article he had written about the illegal appropriation of land by the Director of the National Security Service in Osh region and the corruption of officials. However, his article had not been published due to pressure exerted on the media by the authorities.
Moreover, Mr. Arkabaev’s assistant, Mrs. Gulynara Asanova, has recently been under surveillance by the special services and was summoned to the investigator of the NSS on 28th June.
On 29th June, Mr. Arkabaev was transferred from a temporary detention facility to a pre-trial detention facility and is scheduled to appear before the Prosecutor on 30th June 2001.
The Observatory remains gravely concerned about the continuous harassment to which human rights activists are being subjected in Kyrgyzstan, in particular the KCHR members, which prevents them from being able to effectively engage in their activities.
Actions requested :
Please write to the Kyrgyz authorities demanding that they :
i. free immediately Mr. Arkabaev and drop all the charges against him, since they are arbitrary ;
ii. put an end to all forms of harassment of human rights defenders and their organisations;
iii. ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 19998, in particular its article 1 which provides that “every person has the right, individually or collectively, to promote the protection and fulfilment of human rights and fundamental liberties at the national and international level” and its article 3 according to which “everyone has the right to freely publish, impart pr disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
iv. guarantee the effective respect of fundamental rights and liberties in accordance with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international and regional pacts and covenants ratified by Kyrgyzstan.
Addresses :
The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Askar Akayev, Kyrgyzskaya Respublika, 720003 g. Bishkek, Prospekt Chuy, 205
Fax: + 996 (312) 218 627 ; E-mail:ghpress2@rhl.bishkek.su
Geneva-Paris, 29th June 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken, quoting the reference number given above.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line
Tel : FIDH : +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 ; OMCT : +41 22 809 49 39
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch