Representatives of Adilet Legal Clinic and other non-governmental organizations appealed to the embassies and consulates of European countries and the United States in Kyrgyzstan with a request not to let some officials and deputies of the Kyrgyz Republic into the EU states and USA.
They pointed out in their appeal that fundamental human rights and freedoms have been recently restricted and the democratic space has been narrowed in Kyrgyzstan, including thanks to the legislative initiatives of the presidential administration and deputies of the Parliament.
As an example they cite the draft law on mass media, developed by administration officials, which is at the stage of public discussion and is aimed at establishing total control and forced liquidation of independent media.
This is due to the bills on non-profit non-governmental organizations (initiator is the presidential administration) and amendments to the law on non-profit organizations and the Criminal Code (initiators are 32 deputies of Parliament).
«The indicated legislative initiatives are based on the slogans of the state about protection of the national security of the country and the interests of the people of Kyrgyzstan, and are also aimed at assigning the status of a non-profit organization that performs the functions of a foreign representative, tightening the legal regulation of the activities of branches and representative offices of foreign NGOs, the need to establish transparency in financial and economic activities of non-profit organizations, including those funded by foreign states, their state bodies,» the authors of the appeal noted.
They pointed out that the Cabinet of Ministers violates the adopted national programs — the State Strategy to Combat Corruption and Eliminate its Causes for 2021-2024, the Program to Combat Human Trafficking for 2022-2025, the Program for the Development of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Systems for Settlements until 2026. NGOs, both international and national, take part in their implementation.
«We consider it inappropriate and even dangerous for the aforementioned persons to stay in states that «may pose a threat to the national security of Kyrgyzstan and the interests of its people,» human rights activists and civil activists stress.
They ask to consider the issue of refusal to issue and extend the term of any type of visa not only to all initiators of the mentioned bills, but also to their family members.
«We consider it unacceptable that officials, initiating such bills that restrict the rights to freedom of speech, opinion, association not only of citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic, but also of foreigners, at the same time do not deny themselves visiting your countries, starting a business, acquiring real estate. They send their children and relatives for training, recreation, and permanent residence. In conclusion, we would like to express hope for a correct understanding of the position of civil society, since it is impossible to ignore and support the authors of legislative initiatives that directly restrict and establish prohibitions on the implementation of human rights and freedoms proclaimed and recognized throughout the world,» they concluded.
Earlier, lawyers from Adilet Legal Clinic and Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan human rights movement stated that the adoption of the scandalous initiatives would lead to the liquidation of the civil sector. Their comments were ignored by the law drafters.
Recall, being a deputy of the fifth convocation of Parliament, Nadira Narmatova, in collaboration with Tursunbai Bakir uulu, proposed a similar document. Eighty percent of it was also copied from its Russian version. The draft law was rejected in the third reading by the members of the sixth convocation in 2016.
Source: 24.kg News Agency