Kyrgyzstan
12.12.03
Urgent Interventions
Kyrgyzstan : further threats against KCHR
URGENT APPEAL – THE OBSERVATORY
KGZ 002/0803/OBS 044.2
Restrictions to freedom of association
New information
Kyrgyzstan
December 12th, 2003
The Observatory for the protection of human rights defenders, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Kyrgyzstan.
New information :
The Observatory has been informed of further threats against the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR).
The Observatory recalls that on August 25, former KCHR members, Mr. Tynaliev, Mr. Mombekov, Mr. Jakishev and others, took over the KCHR headed by Mr. Dyryldaev, proclaiming publicly his dismissal from the position of chair. On September 24, the Board of this new KCHR was included in the NGO register by the Ministry of Justice. According to recent information, the Ministry of Justice officially registered the new human rights organization KCHR, on November 28.
This new KCHR is a faked one: Mr. Tynaliev was proclaimed as the new chairman, in total violation of the results of KCHR Board elections held on 11 May 2003, when Mr. Dyryldaev had been re-elected for five years as KCHR chairman.
Since this take-over, the members of Dyryldaev's KCHR have been subjected to a number of acts of harassment and defamation campaigns. These acts include intimidation letters, sent by Mr. Tynaliev to the international community (IGOs, international NGOs and donors) accusing Mr. Dyryldaev of financial mismanagement of funds and corruption.
For instance, after the General Assembly of the International Helsinki Federation (IHF) declared, on November 16, that they did not recognize KCHR under Mr. Tynaliev's management, Mr. Tynaliev accused the executive director of the IHF to interfere in the affairs of KCHR, in an attempt to cover Mr. Dyryldaev's “financial frauds and to distract the public's attention”. Moreover, the media linked to the government have been regularly publishing articles of defamation about Dyryldaev. Articles have been published for example in the “Slovo Kyrgyzstan” and through the information agency AkiPress.
Moreover the new KCHR use international conferences and fora as an instrument to distribute false information about M. Dyryldaev and to discredit him, as was the case for example in Warsaw during the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in October 2003.
The real KCHR is also regularly threatened with judicial proceedings. For instance, on October 9, Mr. Ramazan Dyryldaev was threatened of being prosecuted by Mr. Mombekov, chair deputy of the newly registered KCHR, if he did not give the property to new administration and if he kept sending different information to the international community using the name of the organization. A few days before, on October 6, Bolot Tynaliev reproached to A. Fomenko, a member of the real KCHR to have signed in the name of the members of the board and to have named the “new” KCHR members as “imposters”. He then threatened Mr. Fomenko to fill a claim with the Court against him, with the help of the Government with the aim of confiscating his property.
The pressure has become so important that Mr. Dyryldaev and the former members of the organization are not able to conduct any monitoring activities any more. Mr. Dyryldaev is now living in exile in Vienna.
The Observatory fears that the new KCHR is used by the authorities as a tool to put end to the activities of the real KCHR. Such manoeuvres have already occurred in the past on several occasions. The Observatory recalls in particular that this is the second time since the creation of the KCHR in 1996 that a false organization is registered instead of the real KCHR (See annual report 2000 of the Observatory).
The Observatory recalls that the KCHR headed by Mr. Dyryldaev is a member organization of the FIDH and the OMCT and that both organizations do not recognize the “new” KCHR, headed by Mr. Tynaliev.
Action requested:
Please write to the Kyrgyz authorities urging them to:
i. cancel the registration of the false KCHR;
ii. put an end to the harassment directed at the “real” Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights, Mr. Ramazan Dyryldaev and all human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan, and ensure that they be allowed to carry out their work without hindrance;
iii. ensure the implementation of the provisions on the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN general Assembly on December 9th 1998, in particular article 1 which states 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”, as well as its article 12.1 which stipulates that “everyone has the right, individually or in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other international instruments ratified by the Kyrgyz Republic.
Addresses:
· Mr Askar Akayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyzskaya Respublika, 720003 g. Bishkek, Prospekt Chuy, 205, Fax: 996 312 218 627, Email: ghpress2@rhl.bishkek.su
· Mr. Nikolai Tanaev, Prime Minister, Fax: 996 312 218 627
· Mr. Kurmanbek Osmonov, Minister of Justice, Fax: 996 312 663 044
Paris - Geneva, 12 December, 2003
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
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 and fax: FIDH : +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 / 43 55 18 80
Tel and fax OMCT : (+ 41 22) 809 49 39 / 809 49 29
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
KGZ 002/0803/OBS 044.2
Restrictions to freedom of association
New information
Kyrgyzstan
December 12th, 2003
The Observatory for the protection of human rights defenders, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Kyrgyzstan.
New information :
The Observatory has been informed of further threats against the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR).
The Observatory recalls that on August 25, former KCHR members, Mr. Tynaliev, Mr. Mombekov, Mr. Jakishev and others, took over the KCHR headed by Mr. Dyryldaev, proclaiming publicly his dismissal from the position of chair. On September 24, the Board of this new KCHR was included in the NGO register by the Ministry of Justice. According to recent information, the Ministry of Justice officially registered the new human rights organization KCHR, on November 28.
This new KCHR is a faked one: Mr. Tynaliev was proclaimed as the new chairman, in total violation of the results of KCHR Board elections held on 11 May 2003, when Mr. Dyryldaev had been re-elected for five years as KCHR chairman.
Since this take-over, the members of Dyryldaev's KCHR have been subjected to a number of acts of harassment and defamation campaigns. These acts include intimidation letters, sent by Mr. Tynaliev to the international community (IGOs, international NGOs and donors) accusing Mr. Dyryldaev of financial mismanagement of funds and corruption.
For instance, after the General Assembly of the International Helsinki Federation (IHF) declared, on November 16, that they did not recognize KCHR under Mr. Tynaliev's management, Mr. Tynaliev accused the executive director of the IHF to interfere in the affairs of KCHR, in an attempt to cover Mr. Dyryldaev's “financial frauds and to distract the public's attention”. Moreover, the media linked to the government have been regularly publishing articles of defamation about Dyryldaev. Articles have been published for example in the “Slovo Kyrgyzstan” and through the information agency AkiPress.
Moreover the new KCHR use international conferences and fora as an instrument to distribute false information about M. Dyryldaev and to discredit him, as was the case for example in Warsaw during the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in October 2003.
The real KCHR is also regularly threatened with judicial proceedings. For instance, on October 9, Mr. Ramazan Dyryldaev was threatened of being prosecuted by Mr. Mombekov, chair deputy of the newly registered KCHR, if he did not give the property to new administration and if he kept sending different information to the international community using the name of the organization. A few days before, on October 6, Bolot Tynaliev reproached to A. Fomenko, a member of the real KCHR to have signed in the name of the members of the board and to have named the “new” KCHR members as “imposters”. He then threatened Mr. Fomenko to fill a claim with the Court against him, with the help of the Government with the aim of confiscating his property.
The pressure has become so important that Mr. Dyryldaev and the former members of the organization are not able to conduct any monitoring activities any more. Mr. Dyryldaev is now living in exile in Vienna.
The Observatory fears that the new KCHR is used by the authorities as a tool to put end to the activities of the real KCHR. Such manoeuvres have already occurred in the past on several occasions. The Observatory recalls in particular that this is the second time since the creation of the KCHR in 1996 that a false organization is registered instead of the real KCHR (See annual report 2000 of the Observatory).
The Observatory recalls that the KCHR headed by Mr. Dyryldaev is a member organization of the FIDH and the OMCT and that both organizations do not recognize the “new” KCHR, headed by Mr. Tynaliev.
Action requested:
Please write to the Kyrgyz authorities urging them to:
i. cancel the registration of the false KCHR;
ii. put an end to the harassment directed at the “real” Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights, Mr. Ramazan Dyryldaev and all human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan, and ensure that they be allowed to carry out their work without hindrance;
iii. ensure the implementation of the provisions on the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN general Assembly on December 9th 1998, in particular article 1 which states 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”, as well as its article 12.1 which stipulates that “everyone has the right, individually or in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other international instruments ratified by the Kyrgyz Republic.
Addresses:
· Mr Askar Akayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyzskaya Respublika, 720003 g. Bishkek, Prospekt Chuy, 205, Fax: 996 312 218 627, Email: ghpress2@rhl.bishkek.su
· Mr. Nikolai Tanaev, Prime Minister, Fax: 996 312 218 627
· Mr. Kurmanbek Osmonov, Minister of Justice, Fax: 996 312 663 044
Paris - Geneva, 12 December, 2003
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
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 and fax: FIDH : +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 / 43 55 18 80
Tel and fax OMCT : (+ 41 22) 809 49 39 / 809 49 29
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch