Search Results for: Kyrgyzstan

The US Department of State released the 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Secretary of State Antony Blinken painted a grave picture of the deterioration of human rights in multiple countries and regions throughout the world. The 2020 reports highlight abuses in Russia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, among many other countries. The report for China is [...]

Newly elected Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov on Monday defended new constitutional reforms passed on March 11 that would grant broad powers to the executive branch. The amendments would also allow the president to hold office for multiple terms instead of the current one-year term provided by the constitution. In a recent statement to RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz [...]

The Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek announced Saturday that former Kyrgyz customs official Raimbek Matraimov, who was found guilty of corruption earlier this month, is being detained on fresh money laundering charges.  The announcement comes only days after demonstrators took to the streets to protest the court’s earlier decision to fine Matraimov 260,000 soms (roughly [...]

A Kyrgyz court in Bishkek fined former Deputy Head of State Customs Service Raimbek Matraimov 260,000 soms, or roughly USD $3000, in a closed trial Thursday. Matraimov pleaded guilty during his trial at the Pervomaisky District Court, which was closed to journalists, for his participation in a customs corruption scheme that resulted in the laundering [...]

The State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan reported on Wednesday that they have detained Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev, the former Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, on charges of corruption and illegal enrichment. The arrest took place on Tuesday under the pre-trial framework of the Kyrgyz Criminal Procedure Code. Following Article 98 of the Code, Abylgaziev [...]

Voters in Kyrgyzstan opted to increase presidential powers in a referendum conducted Sunday in parallel with the snap presidential election that saw the victory of populist politician Sadyr Japarov. Preliminary results published by the Central Election Commission revealed Japarov to be leading with almost 80 percent of the vote, and his closest competitor Adakhan Madumarov significantly [...]

Kyrgyz lawmakers unveiled a new constitution on Tuesday, drawing criticism over the expansion of presidential powers. Shortly after a draft of the document was released, politicians and activists expressed concerns that it would lead to full-blown authoritarianism. Among the many changes, it reduces the size and power of parliament. Any responsibilities taken from parliament were [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday urged the EU to press for human rights reforms in Central Asia during an upcoming meeting. Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU, was set to have a virtual meeting with foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—at the 16th EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting [...]

The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan voted Thursday to postpone the date of new parliamentary elections until a constitutional reform supported by acting president Sadyr Japarov can be enacted. Japarov is actively promoting the suggested reforms as the nation’s constitution currently bars him from running in the election while he is acting president. The new law adopted by the [...]

Freedom House, a human rights watchdog group, released a report on internet freedom in the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday criticizing government internet freedom violations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report outlined three recent, prevailing issues over internet freedom: Three notable trends punctuated an especially dismal year for internet freedom. First, political leaders used [...]