• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: RELEASE THE KEMPIR-ABAD DEFENDANTS (Kyrgyzstan: UA 56.23)

July 5, 2023

RELEASE THE KEMPIR-ABAD DEFENDANTS
A group of individuals have been arrested on charges related to their participation in peaceful protests in Kempir-Abad against a controversial new border agreement with Uzbekistan. A number are under house arrest and others remain in pretrial detention in poor conditions. Some of them have been charged with “attempting to violently overthrow the government”, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

TAKE ACTION

  1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on July 17th, 2023.
  2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to the government official listed below. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 56.23. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

Contact Information

Sadyr Japarov President of Kyrgyzstan
Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic
207 Abdumomunov Street
720003, Bishkek
Email: [email protected]
[email protected] [email protected]
Phone: + 996 312 96 02 18

Ambassador Baktybek A. Amanbaev
Embassy of Kyrgyzstan
2360 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Phone: (202) 449-9822
Email: [email protected]

Sample Letter

Dear Mr. President,

I am writing to express my deep concern over the arbitrary detention of a group of individuals following peaceful public protests in Kempir-Abad. Some have been charged with the serious offence of “attempting to violently overthrow the government” simply for [organizing and/or participating] in peaceful protests and expressing criticism of the government.

The prosecution has thus far failed to provide any credible evidence against any of the defendants of the serious charges against them. It is apparent that their only “crime” was their peaceful protest and criticism against the government’s decision to cede control over the Kempir-Abad water reservoir to Uzbekistan.

Some defendants are being held in inhumane conditions and have not been allowed to access the medical treatment they need for their deteriorating health conditions.

Kyrgyzstan’s government has an obligation to respect and facilitate the right to peaceful assembly and ensure that any restriction is necessary and proportionate to a legitimate aim. Criminalizing individuals simply for taking part in peaceful protests is a violation of human rights.

I urge you to:
Do everything within your power to ensure that all charges against the defendants that stem solely from their exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are dropped, and that those that are under any form of detention are immediately released.

Yours sincerely,

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES