From 22 December to 27th December court proceedings were taken against HRDS and young leaders in Bishkek City Court. Their release has since been secured due to internal and international urgent action. The partnership network of CAC and CAC staff wish to express many thanks for their support in such difficult times to: Front Line, WLP, Human Rights Watch, and Community of Saint Egidio in Rome, German Embassy in Bishkek, OSCE Centre in Bishkek and others.

Further Information

Posted 09/01/2008 On December 27, 2007 the panel of judges of Bishkek City Court (Court of Appeal) decided to suspend the hearing of the case against the participants of the “I don’t believe” campaign.

This was related to the fact that several human rights defenders submitted a writ to the Bishkek Inter-district Court asking the court to declare the regulation issued by Bishkek city parliament, relating to the holding of meetings and public actions, illegal and anti-constitutional.

Therefore the City Court, considering Article 548-1 of Code of administrative responsibility in KR and after reviewing the appeals by the arrested participants of the “I don’t believe” action, and also the petitions by the lawyers Nurbek Toktakunov, Sartbay Jaychibekov and that of public defender Tolekan Ismailova, made a decision to suspend the hearing of case on the “participation of young people in meetings organized in prohibited places”. The hearing of the case against the participants of the “I don’t believe!” will be renewed after the Inter-district Court makes its decision on the writ regarding the regulation passed by Bishkek city parliament. It should be noted that on the 14th of October, 2004, Tolekan Ismailova and several other activists won in the Constitutional Court of KR, when the court recognized as illegal and anti-constitutional Articles 3, 5 and 6 of the Law relating to the rights of citizens to peaceful assemblies, and according to this court decision an informative order re the holding peaceful meetings was put in place, which means citizens are free to choose the place for holding meetings and assemblies.

They are only required to inform the local government. But, in spite of this, the Bishkek city Mayor together with the city parliament initiated the above mentioned regulation. It was noted by representatives of international community in Kyrgyzstan, including the Head of the OSCE Center in Bishkek, Ambassador Markus Muller that the regulation introduced by the city parliament is at odds with the rights of citizens and the Constitution of KR.

Also, on 14 January, 2008 the Bishkek City Court will review the appeal by human rights defender Tolekan Ismailova to have the actions of the members of the city parliament declared illegal.

Human rights defenders, activists and youth movements continue their human rights work to have the regulation introduced by Bishkek city declared anti-constitutional and illegal and requiring the rehabilitation of the rights of citizens to freedom of meetings and assemblies.

It is expected that during this month writs by human rights defenders Aziza Abdrasulova, Dinara Oshurakhunova and Maxim Kuleshov will be heard, declaring illegal and eliminating the regulation introduced by Bishkek city parliament.