Abdumannap Khalilov

On 16 August 2010, at the city tribunal in Osh, southern Kyrgyzstan, Mr Abdumannap Khalilov was beaten by a crowd of women, while thirty policemen who were present at the scene did not intervene.

Further Information

Abdumannap Khalilov is a human rights defender from Osh, where he worked as a human rights lawyer representing individuals in both penal and civil cases.

At approximately 15.00 on 16 August 2010, Abdumaannap Khalilov went to the city tribunal to attend a court ruling for a civil case on which he had been working. In the courtyard of the tribunal, a group of women of Kyrgyz ethnic origin were protesting against the appointment of a new judge, Mrs Bekchanova, with banners stating Bekchanova does not deserve to be Kyrgyz and She released 15 Uzbeks. At the time of the protest, Mrs Bekchanova was being sworn in in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

One of the women recognised Abdumannap Khalilov and shouted “He is the defender of Uzbeks''. The women reportedly attacked him and started to beat him. Abdumannap Khalilov managed to escape and ran to a group of policemen who were present at the scene, but instead of protecting him they pushed him towards the women, who continued to assault him. Abdumannap Khalilov entered the court building and hid in the room of the President of the Tribunal, where the President and two police colonels were present at the time. The women ran after him, entered the room and continued their assault of Abdumannap Khalilov. One woman took a bottle of water and smashed it on Abdumannap Khalilov's face, after which he lost consciousness. When he came to, he saw through the window that in the yard of the courthouse the crowd was beating an Uzbek woman.

Two staff members from the Office of the Prosecutor who knew Abdumannap Khalilov helped him to leave through a back door and put him into a taxi. Abdumannap Khalilov received numerous haematoma and suffered from concussion. He received emergency medical assistance from the Medecins du Monde.

Front Line is concerned by the lack of protection provided by state officials and representatives of law enforcement bodies to human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan, especially with regard to human rights defenders of Uzbek ethnic origin. Front Line has documented various incidents of violence against human rights defenders and their supporters which seem to be closely related to their Uzbek ethnicity, including the case of Azimjan Askarov and his family.

Front Line is extremely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity and security of Abdumannap Khalilov, his clients, and of all human rights defenders of Uzbek ethnicity in Kyrgyzstan.