Kyrgyzstan
15.03.02
Urgent Interventions
Kyrgyzstan: continuing harassment against KCHR
URGENT APPEAL – THE OBSERVATORY
KGZ 001/0302/OBS 019
Continuing harassment against KCHR
KYRGYZSTAN
15th March 2002
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an FIDH and OMCT joint program, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Kyrgyzstan.
Brief description of the facts :
The Observatory has been informed of serious acts of harassment against the members of the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR), both in Bishkek and in Naryn region.
According to the information received, on March 12th and 13th, 2002, the members of the KCHR in Bishkek received the visit of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, who informed them that they should vacate their office before March 19th. No written instruction was given, in spite of the requests of KCHR members. On February 14th, the KCHR had already received an order by the Ministry to vacate the office, that the KCHR has been renting from them since 1994. The reasons explaining this sudden decision seem to originate in pressures exerted on the Ministry by the President’s administration and the National Security Services (SNB). In this office, the KCHR lawyers have been giving free legal consultations, as well as accepting complaints and petitions concerning violations of human rights.
Moreover, on March 7th, four members of the Board of KCHR, Mr. Jakishev Fomenko, Mr. Masakeev, Mr. Osmonaliev and Mr. Bekberdinov, were sentenced to pay a fine of 500 soms each for moral damages, by the Pervomay District Court presided by Judge Omorova. They had been invited as witnesses by the independent newspaper Respublica, sued for moral damages by Mr. Botaliev, an alleged former member of the SNB. Respublica newspaper was fined 10,000 soms.
The fine against the KCHR and Respublica was judge Omorova’s second decision against them since the beginning of 2002. In the first case, members of KCHR were fined, after being invited as witnesses by Respublica, in a case filed by M. Eliseev. Respublica was fined 100.000 soms. It should be recalled that, since 1997, the KCHR and Respublica have been fined numerous times. Respublica has been fined three times between 1997 and 2001. The newspaper has not been published since February 1st, 2002, because of the fines imposed upon it.
Mr. Eliseev, a former collaborator of the KCHR who was dismissed in December 1997 for non-authorized absences, has initiated many proceedings against the KCHR. Mr. Botaliev has also filed a complaint against KCHR aiming at putting in question its legal registration before the Pervomay Court. These judicial proceedings, filed by Eliseev as well as Botaliev, seem to be instrumentalized by Kyrgyz authorities, as an attempt to put obstacles to KCHR activities (see annual reports 1999, 2000 and 2001).
Moreover, during the night of March 7th, 2002, unknown persons broke the door and the windows of KCHR’ office in the village of Kochkor, Naryn region. On the following day, Mr. Kachkyn Bulatov, the coordinator of the committee for the Naryn region, discovered that his office had been broken into, and that his phone had been damaged. Mr. Bulatov reported these facts to the local police department, however nothing seems to indicate that some measures have been taken to find the authors of this breaking. This is already the second attack directed against the office of the KCHR in this region this year. The first attack occurred on February 26th.
These attacks seem directed both at the activities of the KCHR and at Mr. Bulatov personally, as a human rights defender. Indeed, on February 13, after Mr. Bulatov had just returned from a business trip, he was summoned to the head of the SNB in Bishkek. Mr. Asanov Kanybek interrogated him about an article he had written on February 12th in the newspaper “Agym”, which referred to the undemocratic election of the head of the collective farm “Tendik”, who was appointed to this post by the district administration head, contrary to the wishes of the villagers. In protest, 300 villagers held a public demonstration asking for the return of the former “Tendik” head.
During the interrogation, Mr. Asanov threatened Kachkyn Bulatov with imprisonment if he did not stop his human rights activities. Mr. Bulatov had already been harassed by the Naryn local authorities on January 2nd, 2002, when he was summoned to present the KCHR registration certificate to the regional department of justice, despite the fact that the KCHR was already registered at the Ministry of Justice. After Mr. Bulatov had presented the registration certificate and the Statute of the Committee, Mr. Asanbaev Kanybe, the director of National Security Service, confiscated all the KCHR documents (the Statute, the registration certificate and other documents) and kept them for a month. Among the confidential documents were some complaints made by citizens and a list of the KCHR members.
Action requested :
Please write to the Kyrgyz authorities demanding that they :
i. Ensure that the members of KCHR in Bishkek can stay in their office and be able to pursue freely their human rights activities;
ii. Put an end to all forms of harassment against Mr. Kachkyn Bulatov and all members of the KCHR as well as all human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan ;
iii. Conform with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, 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. ”;
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
- Mr. Kurmanbek Bakiev, Prime Minister, Fax: + 996 (312) 218 627
- Mr. Temirbek Akmataliev, Minister of the Interior, Fax: +996 (312) 663 031, +996 (312) 288 788, mail@mvd.bishkek.gov.kg
- Mr. Jakyp Abdyrahmanov, Minister of Justice, Fax: +996 (312) 663 044, injust@bishkek.gov.kg
Geneva-Paris, 15 March 2002
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 001/0302/OBS 019
Continuing harassment against KCHR
KYRGYZSTAN
15th March 2002
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an FIDH and OMCT joint program, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Kyrgyzstan.
Brief description of the facts :
The Observatory has been informed of serious acts of harassment against the members of the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR), both in Bishkek and in Naryn region.
According to the information received, on March 12th and 13th, 2002, the members of the KCHR in Bishkek received the visit of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, who informed them that they should vacate their office before March 19th. No written instruction was given, in spite of the requests of KCHR members. On February 14th, the KCHR had already received an order by the Ministry to vacate the office, that the KCHR has been renting from them since 1994. The reasons explaining this sudden decision seem to originate in pressures exerted on the Ministry by the President’s administration and the National Security Services (SNB). In this office, the KCHR lawyers have been giving free legal consultations, as well as accepting complaints and petitions concerning violations of human rights.
Moreover, on March 7th, four members of the Board of KCHR, Mr. Jakishev Fomenko, Mr. Masakeev, Mr. Osmonaliev and Mr. Bekberdinov, were sentenced to pay a fine of 500 soms each for moral damages, by the Pervomay District Court presided by Judge Omorova. They had been invited as witnesses by the independent newspaper Respublica, sued for moral damages by Mr. Botaliev, an alleged former member of the SNB. Respublica newspaper was fined 10,000 soms.
The fine against the KCHR and Respublica was judge Omorova’s second decision against them since the beginning of 2002. In the first case, members of KCHR were fined, after being invited as witnesses by Respublica, in a case filed by M. Eliseev. Respublica was fined 100.000 soms. It should be recalled that, since 1997, the KCHR and Respublica have been fined numerous times. Respublica has been fined three times between 1997 and 2001. The newspaper has not been published since February 1st, 2002, because of the fines imposed upon it.
Mr. Eliseev, a former collaborator of the KCHR who was dismissed in December 1997 for non-authorized absences, has initiated many proceedings against the KCHR. Mr. Botaliev has also filed a complaint against KCHR aiming at putting in question its legal registration before the Pervomay Court. These judicial proceedings, filed by Eliseev as well as Botaliev, seem to be instrumentalized by Kyrgyz authorities, as an attempt to put obstacles to KCHR activities (see annual reports 1999, 2000 and 2001).
Moreover, during the night of March 7th, 2002, unknown persons broke the door and the windows of KCHR’ office in the village of Kochkor, Naryn region. On the following day, Mr. Kachkyn Bulatov, the coordinator of the committee for the Naryn region, discovered that his office had been broken into, and that his phone had been damaged. Mr. Bulatov reported these facts to the local police department, however nothing seems to indicate that some measures have been taken to find the authors of this breaking. This is already the second attack directed against the office of the KCHR in this region this year. The first attack occurred on February 26th.
These attacks seem directed both at the activities of the KCHR and at Mr. Bulatov personally, as a human rights defender. Indeed, on February 13, after Mr. Bulatov had just returned from a business trip, he was summoned to the head of the SNB in Bishkek. Mr. Asanov Kanybek interrogated him about an article he had written on February 12th in the newspaper “Agym”, which referred to the undemocratic election of the head of the collective farm “Tendik”, who was appointed to this post by the district administration head, contrary to the wishes of the villagers. In protest, 300 villagers held a public demonstration asking for the return of the former “Tendik” head.
During the interrogation, Mr. Asanov threatened Kachkyn Bulatov with imprisonment if he did not stop his human rights activities. Mr. Bulatov had already been harassed by the Naryn local authorities on January 2nd, 2002, when he was summoned to present the KCHR registration certificate to the regional department of justice, despite the fact that the KCHR was already registered at the Ministry of Justice. After Mr. Bulatov had presented the registration certificate and the Statute of the Committee, Mr. Asanbaev Kanybe, the director of National Security Service, confiscated all the KCHR documents (the Statute, the registration certificate and other documents) and kept them for a month. Among the confidential documents were some complaints made by citizens and a list of the KCHR members.
Action requested :
Please write to the Kyrgyz authorities demanding that they :
i. Ensure that the members of KCHR in Bishkek can stay in their office and be able to pursue freely their human rights activities;
ii. Put an end to all forms of harassment against Mr. Kachkyn Bulatov and all members of the KCHR as well as all human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan ;
iii. Conform with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, 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. ”;
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
- Mr. Kurmanbek Bakiev, Prime Minister, Fax: + 996 (312) 218 627
- Mr. Temirbek Akmataliev, Minister of the Interior, Fax: +996 (312) 663 031, +996 (312) 288 788, mail@mvd.bishkek.gov.kg
- Mr. Jakyp Abdyrahmanov, Minister of Justice, Fax: +996 (312) 663 044, injust@bishkek.gov.kg
Geneva-Paris, 15 March 2002
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