Center “Interbilim” expresses serious concern relating to the recent events in Kyrgyzstan and alarm about the future of the country

31 January 2008, Thursday, 12:48

28 January 2008

To the
President of the Kyrgyz Republic
Government of the Kyrgyz Republic
Human Rights Commission under
the President of the Kyrgyz Republic 
Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic
Mass Media
Public of Kyrgyzstan
International community

APPEAL

Center “Interbilim” expresses serious concern relating to the recent events in Kyrgyzstan and alarm about the future of the country.

Restriction of the freedom of speech and the right to hold peaceful gatherings, arbitrary arrest and detention of citizens on different grounds, persecution and arrest of human rights defenders, students and youth activists - participants in the action “I don’t believe…”, and lawlessness on the side of courts and law enforcement agencies attest that the current authorities, with their unconstitutional actions, spread an atmosphere of lawlessness and unfreedom throughout our society.

We would like to remind that attempts to somehow “discipline” the civil society of Kyrgyzstan were undertaken by the previous authorities as well. It’s not out of place to remind that precisely the actions of the authorities and law enforcement agencies in Aksy in 2002 brought the country to the events in 2005.

Today, in our view, the war of the authorities against the civil society reached its culmination. The active involvement of such resources as the Ministry of internal affairs, the General prosecutor, and the Ministry of justice attests to the extraordinarily gravity of the intention of the higher authorities on the one hand and, on the other hand clearly demonstrates that the higher authorities returned to the worst practices of authoritarian regimes, reminding of the initial events of the Stalinist repression.  

We consider that the repression of citizens who do not agree with the politics of the current authorities, and unlimited violations of civil and political human rights and freedoms can develop into a “genocide” against its own people and bring our country to an extremely dangerous boundary, namely of authoritarianism, when illegal detentions of peaceful citizens become the norm and assume a mass character.

On the basis of the above-mentioned, we emphasize once more the necessity to observe the human rights in the Kyrgyz Republic and demand from President K. Bakiev, in his capacity of guarantor of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, to stop lawlessness, to hold responsible all officials guilty of arrests and brutal treatment of detained citizens, and to restore rule of law.

We also demand from the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic, in their capacity of institutions with the function to promote and defend the rights and interests of citizens, to give their legal assessment of the events taking place in the country.