Comment by UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Liz Throssell on People Arrested and Detained in Kyrgyzstan

(Special Correspondent) 

In Kyrgyzstan, more than 20 people, including activists and bloggers, remain in pre-trial detention after police raided their homes and arrested them at the weekend. They were placed in pre-trial detention for two months on 24 October and face serious criminal charges, including what is termed “organising mass riots, associated with violence”. 

Those detained are part of a group set up to protect a reservoir in south-west Kyrgyzstan – the Kempir-Abad reservoir – which the Kyrgyz government, under a border delimitation agreement, would transfer to neighbouring Uzbekistan.  The charges against them are widely seen as being linked to their publicly raising their concerns on this issue and their demands for more transparency in government decision-making.

We call on the authorities to ensure they are fully afforded their due process and fair trial guarantees under international law, including being brought promptly before a judge and able to challenge the lawfulness of their detention.

We also remind the authorities that these individuals are presumed innocent and that pre-trial detention should be an exception and resorted to only where reasonable, necessary and provided by law, in line with international human rights norms and standards. 

We also call on the authorities to ensure there is meaningful information-sharing and participation among a wide array of stakeholders in developing policies. People’s rights to freedom of expression and access to information, along with their right to public participation, should be upheld. With regard to the Kempir-Abad reservoir, there should be effective consultation with the local population.