Kyrgyzstan: Government's refusal to admit human rights advocate stokes controversy

2/27/09

Kyrgyzstan has denied entry to a Russian rights activist, but his colleagues say they may not challenge the decision for fear of aggravating the Central Asian nation's civil society climate.

Vitaly Ponomarev, the Central Asian Program Director for the widely known Russian group Memorial, was turned back at Bishkek's airport February 26. He had been due to attend a news conference the next day about an investigation into disturbances in the southern town of Nookat, where protesters attacked government buildings in 2008 after they were prevented from praying in a public square during a religious holiday.

According to Amnesty International, the decision to refuse Ponomarev entry was taken by the National Security Service, which reportedly prohibited the activist from entering Kyrgyzstan for five years. "It is a worrying sign of a tendency elsewhere in the region to suppress any attempt to bring to light human right abuses," said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Program Director at Amnesty International.

"The authorities of Kyrgyzstan must not follow the example of Uzbekistan, but should allow independent human rights activists, experts and journalists to carry out their activities in safety and to work without fear of harassment or intimidation," she added.

Kyrgyz activist Aziza Abdurasulova said Ponomarev's deportation was directly linked to his professional work. She described the actions of the authorities as setting "a dangerous precedent."

Ponomarev was last in Kyrgyzstan in December 2008. During that trip, he went to Nookat to investigate the events that occurred there. He subsequently issued a report that created an international stir, and prompted the Kyrgyz government to belatedly form a special committee to investigate the Nookat events. "His deportation is definitely related to his Nookat report," Abdurasulova said.

She added that given the complexity of the situation, and the need to ensure the safety of protesters seeking asylum, or who are currently in custody, Kyrgyz human rights groups may choose to not challenge Ponomarev's failure to gain entry.

"Whether we will write petitions or not, I don't know. Right now there are so many factors and facts that we have to work with regarding events in Nookat, and also people looking for asylum in other countries. For example, there is a 20 year-old man in being held on the orders of the State Committee for National Security. His family got asylum in Canada already and he is here in prison," she said.

At least 10 former residents of Nookat have sought asylum in Jordan. They fled after it became apparent they would face ongoing pressure, including physical abuse, at the hands of local law enforcement agencies, Abdurasulova said.

Many protesters were interrogated, abused and humiliated following their arrests last year, she claims. Thirty-two protesters received lengthy prisons sentences for their alleged roles in the disturbances during Eid al-Fitr, a festival marking the end of Ramadan, October 1, 2008. Several policemen were injured in scuffles. Last November, a Nookat district court sentenced 10 protesters to 20-years in prison each, one minor to a nine-year term and the remainder to prison sentences of between 16 and 19-years.

They were accused under eight articles of the criminal code including attempting to overthrow the constitutional system, the organization of mass disturbances, unlawful religious and extremist activities, involving minors in a crime, the use of violence against government representatives and the destruction of property.

Human rights groups have maintained that many have been wrongly convicted and imprisoned. More than 50 percent of Nookat's residents are classed as "poor" or "extremely poor." Unemployment in the area runs at 36 percent.