We are writing to you today to express our dismay regarding the recent kidnapping, allegedly by security agents or those in collusion with them, of rights defender Tursunbek Akunov. We call on you to ensure that an independent investigation is launched immediately, that it is allowed to proceed without interference from those agencies under investigation, and that the perpetrators of this crime are punished according to the law.
Dear President Akaev,
We are writing to you today to express our dismay regarding the recent kidnapping, allegedly by security agents or those in collusion with them, of rights defender Tursunbek Akunov. We call on you to ensure that an independent investigation is launched immediately, that it is allowed to proceed without interference from those agencies under investigation, and that the perpetrators of this crime are punished according to the law.
As you are aware, Tursunbek Akunov went missing on November 16, 2004. He was reportedly discovered on December 1 by an employee at Hospital No. 4 in Bishkek, who subsequently alerted the media to his whereabouts. According to fellow rights defender Topchubek Turgunaliev, who spoke to Akunov at the hospital, Akunov said that on November 16 he was taken by force and hit by men he believed to be agents of the National Security Service, that he lost consciousness upon entering the car, and that he believes he regained consciousness about three days later. Turgunaliev told Human Rights Watch that Akunov believed he had been exposed to noxious gas. Akunov stated that he found himself under armed guard in a basement and that by the sounds of farm animals around him he assumes it was the basement of a private home on the outskirts of Bishkek. According to Turgunaliev, Akunov believes the two armed men holding him were affiliated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, one of whom he recognized clearly as an agent who had been deployed to several protests Akunov attended in the past. Akunov has also been quoted in the press as having told journalists that he was kidnapped by security officials and held in a basement and threatened.
As you are no doubt aware, the long-time rights defender and politician has been actively campaigning and gathering signatures calling for you to step down from office. According to Turgunaliev and press reports, Akunov said his captors repeatedly threatened that if he did not stop gathering signatures from the public calling for your resignation, “we can do anything we want with you. ” Akunov reportedly refused to agree to halt his political activities.
According to Akunov’s wife, the rights defender cannot recall how he got to Hospital No. 4. Natalia Ablova, head of the Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law, has reported that an eye witness who happened to be visiting the hospital said that she saw people bring an unconscious Akunov into the hospital on a stretcher. The eye witness, who reportedly asked to remain anonymous, said she recognized his face and his name when hospital employees were registering his case and then notified the press. Uniformed and plainclothes police reportedly surrounded the hospital shortly thereafter. Law enforcement agents blocked access to the hospital and granted access to Akunov to only a few people, including Akunov’s wife, Gulia Japarovna, Turgunaliev, and Christian Knust from the OSCE center in Bishkek.
At the hospital Akunov reported to doctors that he had a severe headache. As of December 2 it remained unclear whether doctors had examined him thoroughly for signs of prolonged exposure to noxious gas or other chemicals, run tests for consequences of head injury, or had done a full analysis of his blood for signs of foreign substances. The doctor in charge, Dr. Sulaimanov, announced Akunov to be in stable condition and reported that the hospital detected no major injuries or damage to his health apart from “deep psychological trauma.” Doctors refused to give him additional treatment at the hospital.
Akunov was released from the hospital on December 2 and returned home. His wife told Human Rights Watch that he is in poor health, that he cannot stand or walk without assistance, and that at times he is able to open his eyes or speak, but only with difficulty. Human Rights Watch is calling for a full independent medical exam of Akunov to be conducted immediately.
While Akunov was in the hospital on December 1, senior Ministry of Internal Affairs and National Security Service officials questioned him. According to press reports, on December 2, deputy head of the National Security Services, Tokon Mamytov, criticized the testimony Akunov allegedly gave from his hospital bed as inconsistent. Mamytov reportedly stated “this was a staged political show blamed on the National Security Service,” and called Akunov’s disappearance “a farce.” Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesman Zholdoshbek Busurmankulov, reportedly said, “This was a political show to attract attention ahead of the elections.”
Human Rights Watch is outraged by the attitude of such senior level law enforcement officers to Akunov’s reports of abduction by police and security agents and finds their statements that this story was somehow fabricated by Tursunbek Akunov to lack credibility. We regard the statements made by Mr. Mamytov as part of a cynical and transparent attempt to shift the blame for the kidnapping of Akunov on the victim himself rather than his captors. For this and other reasons, Human Rights Watch again urges you to ensure that an independent investigation into this matter is convened immediately.
Thank you for your attention to this crucial matter.
Sincerely,
Rachel Denber
Acting Executive Director
Europe and Central Asia division
