U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1999 - Kyrgyzstan
| Publisher | United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1999 |
| Cite as | United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1999 - Kyrgyzstan , 1 January 1999, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a8c30.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Kyrgyzstan hosted 14,900 refugees (14,000 Tajiks and 600 Afghans) and almost 300 asylum seekers of various nationalities. More than 26,000 other Tajiks were living in Kyrgyzstan in refugee-like circumstances. Some 1,150 Tajiks repatriated from Kyrgyzstan during the year.
In early 1997, the Kyrgyz Parliament drafted a national refugee law. UNHCR offered extensive comments on the draft law, but Kyrgyz legislators did not incorporate any of UNHCR's recommendations. The legislation was formally presented to the Kyrgyz Parliament for consideration in early 1998, but the parliament did not act upon it. In November, legislators undertook to revise the legislation with a view to reintroducing it in parliament in 1999.
Although Kyrgyzstan has not formally enacted the refugee legislation, it has been screening asylum applicants for refugee status. During 1998, UNHCR and local human rights organizations helped six rejected asylum applicants to appeal their cases. Kyrgyz courts upheld all six of the rejections.
According to the BBC, on November 7 and 8, Kyrgyz troops turned back more than 250 Tajiks who tried to seek refuge in Kyrgyzstan.
