Amnesty International Report 2003 - Kyrgyzstan
- Document source:
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Date:
28 May 2003
Covering events from January - December 2002
KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
Head of state: Askar Akayev
Head of government: Nikolay Tanayev (replaced Kurmanbek Bakiyev in May)
Death penalty: retentionist
International Criminal Court: signed
Police used excessive force dispersing demonstrators in March. At least five demonstrators were killed. Human rights defenders and opposition figures were harassed, detained and imprisoned. Refugees were forcibly returned to countries where they were at risk of serious human rights violations.
Background
There was a series of anti-government mass protests during the year. At least five people died in the southern district of Aksy in March after police opened fire on demonstrators (see below). Hundreds of demonstrators were detained. One demonstrator, who had been on hunger strike, died in January. In several cases demonstrators took government officials and police officers hostage to protest against government actions.
The Prime Minister and his cabinet stepped down on 22 May after the State Commission on the shootings by police of five demonstrators in Aksy found that senior officials were responsible for the deaths.
A Council for Constitutional Reforms which comprised government officials, parliamentarians, opposition figures and human rights activists was established by the President in August. A national referendum to vote on amendments to the Constitution was scheduled for early 2003.
In June, the law on the People's Rights Defender (Ombudsman) was adopted and in November the first Ombudsman was elected.
Arrests of alleged members of the banned Islamist party Hizb-ut-Tahrir continued.
The US-led coalition used military bases in Kyrgyzstan in connection with the military intervention in Afghanistan. In December, the Russian Federation deployed military aircraft in Kyrgyzstan.
Excessive use of force by police
At least five demonstrators died in clashes between police and protesters in the Aksy district of Jalal-abad region on 17 and 18 March. The protesters were calling for Azimbek Beknazarov's release (see below). Police officers and demonstrators were reportedly injured in the clashes.
The then Prime Minister stated that police were forced to fire in self-defence when the demonstration turned violent. However, in its report, issued on 17 May, the State Commission investigating the Aksy events stated that the "use of force by the law enforcement agencies... was erroneous, while the use of firearms was illegal." At the end of August,a criminal case was opened against several officials accused of abuse of office in connection with the deaths at the March protests. The trial was postponed several times, at least twice because several of the accused failed to appear in court, and because the case was sent back for further investigation. At the end of December, the Military Court in the southern city of Osh sentenced four senior law enforcement officials at the time of the Aksy events to prison terms ranging from two to three years. Three officials were acquitted.
Human rights defenders
Bakhadir Akhmedov, a 37-year-old ethnic Uzbek and deputy chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Muslims' Rights, was detained on 11 January in the southern town of Jalal-abad following a search of his flat in the course of which police officers reportedly planted ammunition in his gas oven to incriminate him. He was transferred to the investigation-isolation prison in Bishkek on 13 January, accused of "illegal possession of firearms". On 12 August, he was additionally charged with membership of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). There were strong indications that the charges were not supported by compelling evidence. On 30 December, the charge of membership of the IMU was dropped. The initial charge was upheld, but the court ruled that he had already served the sentence in pre-trial detention and Bakhadir Akhmedov was released from the court room.
Political prisoners
Opposition politician and parliamentarian Azimbek Beknazarov was detained in Jalal-abad region on 5 January, accused of failing to investigate a murder in 1995 when he worked as an investigator at a prosecutor's office of the region. His supporters believed that the charges were brought in order to punish him for criticizing the government, in particular for his criticisms of ceding Kyrgyz territory to China as part of a frontier delineation agreement. On 19 March, following mass demonstrations in the district of Aksy demanding his release, he was set free on condition that he did not leave the country. On 24 May, Toktogul District Court sentenced him to one year's imprisonment for "abuse of power". His conviction meant that he lost his seat in parliament. He was immediately released as the judge ruled he had already served long enough on remand. On 28 June, Jalal-abad Regional Court closed the case, restoring Azimbek Beknazarov's parliamentary mandate.
On 11 October, Bishkek City Court upheld the conviction of Feliks Kulov, leader of the opposition
Ar-Namys party and a former senior government official. He had been sentenced in May to 10 years' imprisonment in a strict-regime colony for abuse of office and embezzlement while he was governor of the northern Chui region between 1993 and 1997 and mayor of Bishkek in 1998 and 1999. There were concerns that these charges were brought for political reasons.
Refugees
Kyrgyzstan continued to deport refugees to countries where they were at risk of serious human rights violations.
- Two ethnic Uighurs, both Chinese citizens, were reportedly deported at the beginning of August to China where they were at risk of serious human rights violations. The Kyrgyz Interior Minister had reportedly told journalists in July that the men would be tried in Kyrgyzstan and would not be extradited to China. The men had been accused of killing a senior official at the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan in late June.
At least 160 people were reported to be on death row at the end of 2002. The moratorium on executions in place since December 1998 remained in force.
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