EU: Ensuring a value-based partnership with Kyrgyzstan – Civic space briefing

The EU’s deepened engagement with Kyrgyzstan through the Enhanced Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (EPCA), signed last year and currently pending ratification, underscores the importance of upholding democratic principles and human rights as fundamental pillars of this relationship.

However, the recent alarming restrictions on civic freedoms in Kyrgyzstan—including pressure on independent voices and civil society—directly contradict these commitments. We reiterate our call for the EU to use its engagement and available means of leverage to encourage Kyrgyzstani authorities to reverse restrictive policies, safeguard open debate, and support—rather than hinder—civil society participation. Once considered the most open in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan’s civic space is now classified as “repressed” by the global CIVICUS Monitor – a global initiative tracking civic freedoms with which International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and its Central Asian partners cooperate.

A briefing paper prepared by IPHR highlights the latest troubling civic space trends in Kyrgyzstan, which require urgent attention in all upcoming bilateral and regional dialogues with the country. These trends include:

The adoption of a “foreign agent”-style NGO law:

A law adopted in Kyrgyzstan in spring 2024 requires foreign-funded NGOs engaged in broadly defined “political activities” to register as “foreign representatives”—a stigmatizing label. The Council of Europe’s Venice Commission has deemed the law a violation of Kyrgyzstan’s international obligations and called for its repeal.

The law grants excessive state control over NGOs, with harsh penalties for non-compliance, fostering fear and self-censorship. Some NGOs have self-liquidated or scaled back activities to avoid being targeted. While few have registered so far, any group influencing public policies or opinion could face pressure to do so.

In December 2024, President Sadyr Japarov publicly accused independent media and human rights groups of misusing foreign funds and spreading “false” information, fuelling distrust. Following these remarks, human rights defender Aziza Abdurasulova temporarily fled the country due to threats.

Growing pressure on independent media:

Independent media in Kyrgyzstan have faced growing pressure due to raids, criminal investigations, and other restrictive measures. For example, last year, the 24.kg office was sealed for two months during a “war propaganda” probe related to its Ukraine war coverage, while the Temirov Live channel’s corruptions investigations were disrupted by mass arrests of its journalists. In summer 2024, the Supreme Court confirmed the closure of the organisation behind the award-winning Kloop platform.

 In a welcome development, a controversial media law imposing extensive state regulation was revised following widespread criticism. The revised version is now pending in Parliament.

Misuse of the fight against disinformation to prevent free information exchange:

The government has repeatedly blocked—or threatened to block—independent news sites for allegedly posting “false” information under a controversial 2021 law. Recent legislative initiatives, including January 2025 amendments to the Code of Offenses that empower police to issues fines for spreading “false” information, also risk being misused to silence criticism. Although a proposal to ban the sharing of recordings that “discredit” law enforcement was voted down in late 2024, police have already used similar justifications to restrict recordings.

Additionally, draft legislation from autumn 2024 aims to re-criminalise possession of “extremist” material without a clear definition, while a 2023 law bans information that “contradicts family values” or “promotes non-traditional sexual relations”—both of which could also be used to curtail freedom of expression.

Blanket restrictions on peaceful protests:

While peaceful protests often take place without interference, prolonged bans on assemblies pose a serious threat to freedom of assembly. Such restrictions, condemned by human rights groups and international experts, violate national and international standards. Protests in central Bishkek have been banned for nearly three years following a request from the Russian embassy to prevent anti-war demonstrations near its premises. Most recently, a local court extended the ban through March 2025.

Increasing persecution of civil society activists, journalists and bloggers:

Civil society activists, opposition supporters, journalists, and bloggers who criticise authorities face increasing persecution, including arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment.

In October 2024, Temirov Live’s director Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and colleague Azamat Ishenbekov were sentenced to prison while two other journalists received probation. Their sentences were upheld on appeal. Bolot Temirov, the platform’s founder, remains in exile after being unlawfully stripped of his citizenship and expelled in 2022.

The November 2024 arrest of lawyer Samat Matsakov has been widely criticised as an attack on the independence of the legal profession. He is believed to have been targeted for defending clients in politically sensitive cases, with serious procedural violations undermining the legal actions against him. He remains in pre-trial detention.

Similarly, the recent arrest of opposition Social Democrats party leader Temirlan Sultanbekov and two party representatives on vote-buying charges has raised alarm amid growing government efforts to suppress political pluralism. Sultanbekov’s health has severely deteriorated in pre-trial detention due to an extended hunger strike, sparking fears for his life.

In another high-profile case, 22 activists charged after opposing a border deal over the Kempir-Abad reservoir were acquitted in June 2024 and released after spending up to 19 months in detention. However, prosecutors have appealed against the acquittal, with the hearings in the case repeatedly postponed.

In addition, activists, bloggers, and journalists are increasingly prosecuted over government-critical social media posts based on vague legal provisions, with some facing imprisonment. Those prosecuted include an academician who testified about security service influence on expert reviews in cases against bloggers.

In some cases, the government’s persecution of critics extends beyond Kyrgyzstan’s borders. For example, authorities have sought the extradition of a civil society activist from the United Arab Emirates on spurious charges.

We welcome the European Parliament’s December 2024 resolution on Kyrgyzstan, which affirmed that the ratification of the EPCA must be contingent on compliance with human rights and democratic standards. The Parliament has also previously called for reassessing Kyrgyzstan’s GSP+ benefits in light of the widening crackdown on fundamental freedoms. We urge Members of Parliament and other EU representatives to promote these positions in their continued engagement with Kyrgyzstan, ensuring that the EU’s partnership remains firmly anchored in democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms.

IPHR’s briefing paper can be downloaded below.