By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch, Reporter
KYRGYZSTAN – A hearing took place at Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court to investigate allegations of torture on Thursday. Thirty-two defendants were arrested in October for protesting the government’s decision to prohibit the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr. The police arrested them, claiming they were Islamic “extremists.” The defendants stood trial in the Osh Province a month later. Many claimed they were tortured while in police custody.
“The prosecutor’s office should have started an investigation into the torture allegations a long time ago,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Torture is a common problem in Kyrgyzstan, and the Supreme Court hearing is a chance for the authorities to make clear that the abusers can no longer get away with it.”
The Osh Province Court found the defendants guilty of charges including incitement to cause or participate in mass unrest, separatism, attempted overthrow of the constitutional order, and spreading ethnic or religious strife. They were sentenced between nine and twenty years in prison.
The Kyrgyz Human Rights Council requested ombudsman Tursunbek Akun to conduct an independent investigation. “The gross violation of the basic right to a free trial, the mass repression of ordinary citizens, torture, and blackmail by the law-enforcement agencies could undermine confidence in the state and trigger anger against its representatives and increase radicalism in the region,” the council said.
On February 20, 2009, the ombudsman declared his intention to have the rulings reviewed. “Torture was widely used to get testimony. There were just four actual supporters of the Khizb ut-Takhrir party (among the accused) and the rest were placed in the same category. I plan to draw public attention to this,” he said.
According to Human Rights Watch, “law enforcement officials poured hot and cold water on them, beat them on the soles of their feet, and semi-suffocated them using plastic bags or gas masks. Detainees also had to stand in their underwear in a cold room with their feet in water for up to three days, were not allowed to use sanitary facilities, and did not receive needed medical treatment.”
Human rights organizations view the Supreme Court hearing as an opportunity to further investigate the torture allegations to ensure justice.
For more information, please see:
Central Asian Online – Kyrgyzstan Ombudsman Seeks Further Investigation of Nookat Events – 02 February 2009
Human Rights Watch – Kyrgyzstan: Investigate Torture Allegations – 13 May 2009
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty – Kyrgyz High Court Hearing Appeal by Religious Extremists – 15 May 2009
