Kyrgyzstan’s new government should break with the past by prioritizing respect for human rights, Human Rights Watch said today.
In a five-page letter to Acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev, Human Rights Watch proposed an agenda for the protection of human rights in Kyrgyzstan in the aftermath of former President Askar Akaev’s resignation.
“The new government should establish early on that it is committed to respect for fundamental human rights and the rule of law,” said Rachel Denber, acting Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
The Bakiev government came to power on March 25, 2005, following mass protests against deeply flawed parliamentary elections and calls for Akaev to step down. The protests came after several years of increased repression and rights violations under the Akaev government, including government harassment of civil society activists, persecution of independent media, and a pattern of unfair elections.
Human Rights Watch called on the new government to ensure that upcoming presidential elections are free and fair, and that new parliamentary elections be held in due time following the presidential vote. At the same time, Bakiev should establish a meaningful dialogue with civil society groups on critical human rights issues, such as reforms that would improve media freedoms, strengthen the independence of the judiciary, and protect criminal detainees from torture and ill-treatment.
Kyrgyzstan experienced several years of thaw after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and had the reputation for being one of the more reformist governments in Central Asia. Since the end of the 1990’s, however, the government became steadily more authoritarian. In a letter to Akaev in February, Human Rights Watch detailed how increasingly repressive measures had compromised the fairness of the February 27 parliamentary vote.
“The government has a unique opportunity to break with the abuses of the past,” said Denber. “It can create a new era for human rights in Kyrgyzstan.”
