Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Commend Kyrgyzstan on Eradicating Statelessness, Ask about Measures to Prevent Hate Speech and Bride Kidnapping
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today concluded its consideration of the combined eleventh and twelfth periodic reports of Kyrgyzstan, with Committee Experts commending the State on resolving all known cases of statelessness, and asking about measures to prevent hate speech and the practice of bride kidnapping.
Mazalo Tebie, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, and other Committee Experts commended Kyrgyzstan on having resolved all known cases of statelessness in 2019. They asked how the State party was bringing its legislation on statelessness in line with international standards.
Guan Jian, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said conflicts between the country’s various ethnic groups had occurred in recent years. The State party needed to consider early detection and preventative measures to prevent hate speech. Could the delegation provide data on crimes motivated by racist hate speech occurring online and in the media?
Ms. Tebie also said there was a phenomenon in Kyrgyzstan called “ala kachuu” (bride kidnapping), in which young women or girls from marginalised and vulnerable ethnic groups were abducted by men and forced into marriage. How did the State ensure the effective implementation of laws prohibiting the practice?
In opening remarks, Marat Tagaev, Deputy Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan and head of the delegation, said Kyrgyzstan fully adhered to its international obligations under the Convention. The President had approved the national development strategy until 2040, one of the main priorities of which was to ensure interethnic harmony and strengthen the unity of the people.
In addition, Mr. Tagaev said Kyrgyzstan continued systematic and continuous work on the issues of refugees, internally displaced persons and stateless persons. In 2019, it became the first country in the world to resolve all known cases of statelessness. It had also introduced a universal system that ensured 100 per cent registration of births.
On measures to address hate speech, the delegation said a new bill on the media had been prepared in 2022 which prevented the spread of disinformation online. In 2025, only 25 complaints related to online hate speech had been received by the State; the State had moved to block websites in response in seven cases.
The delegation said bridal theft was a form of violence against women. Persons who abducted women for the purpose of marriage were punished with up to seven years imprisonment, or up to 20 years for the abduction of minors. In 2022, courts found 42 individuals guilty of these crimes. In all schools, a special subject was taught that addressed kidnapping and abductions, explaining that these actions were crimes.
In concluding remarks, Michal Balcerzak, Committee Chair, said the dialogue had been very constructive, addressing many issues. The information provided by the delegation would allow the Committee to develop targeted concluding observations.
Mr. Guan, in concluding remarks, thanked the State party for its contributions to the dialogue, which had helped to make it a success.
Mr. Tagaev, in his concluding remarks, said that the Committee’s comments and questions would help the State party to strengthen measures to promote equality and prevent discrimination. Kyrgyzstan would continue to take active steps to prevent racial discrimination and implement the Convention, working in collaboration with civil society.
The delegation of Kyrgyzstan consisted of representatives of the Supreme Court; General Prosecutor's Office; Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Labour, Social Security, and Migration; Ministry of Education and Science; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Economy and Commerce; Cabinet of Ministers; State Commission on Religious Affairs; Administration of the President; and the Permanent Mission of Kyrgyzstan to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue its concluding observations on the report of Kyrgyzstan after the conclusion of its one hundred and fifteenth session on 9 May. The programme of work and other documents related to the session can be found here. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public on Friday, 9 May at 4 p.m. to close its one hundred and fifteenth session.
Report
The Committee has before it the combined eleventh and twelfth periodic reports of Kyrgyzstan (CERD/C/KGZ/11-12).
Presentation of Report
MARAT TAGAEV, Deputy Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan and head of the delegation, said that since Kyrgyzstan gained independence, the human rights and freedoms of its citizens, regardless of their racial and ethnic affiliation, had remained absolute and unchanged in the State. Kyrgyzstan fully adhered to its international obligations under the Convention. It was a multi-ethnic State with representatives of more than 100 different ethnic groups, including Uzbeks, Russians, Dungans, Uyghurs, Tajiks and other ethnic groups. The Constitution prohibited discrimination based on race, language, ethnicity, religion, origin, as well as other circumstances. The commission of a crime based on racial, ethnic, national, religious or interregional enmity was an aggravating circumstance.
Set up in 2013, the Coordinating Council on Human Rights aimed to improve the mechanisms for ensuring the protection of human and civil rights and freedoms, and the implementation of international obligations in the field of human rights. The Council included the heads of key State bodies whose activities were related to the protection of human rights, and it was headed by the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan continued systematic and continuous work on the issues of refugees, internally displaced persons and stateless persons. In 2019, it became the first country in the world to resolve all known cases of statelessness. It had also introduced a universal system that ensured 100 per cent registration of births. Draft laws on Kyrgyzstan's accession to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Reduction of Statelessness Convention had also been submitted for public discussion.
The courts of the country applied not only the laws of Kyrgyzstan but also international treaties that had entered into force. The Convention was thus an integral part of the legal system. The President had approved the national development strategy until 2040, one of the main priorities of which was to ensure interethnic harmony, strengthen the unity of the people, and protect the rights of citizens, regardless of their ethnicity.
In November 2020, the President of Kyrgyzstan had approved the plan for the promotion of a civil identity Kyrgyz jarany (Kyrgyz citizen) for the period 2021-2026. The purpose of the plan was to develop a favourable environment for the promotion of the civic identity of Kyrgyz jarany, including through forming of a conscious understanding of the civil identity of Kyrgyz citizens; strengthening the unity of the people of Kyrgyzstan, increasing tolerance and promoting diversity; developing and promoting the State language and preserving multilingualism; promoting equal access to decision making; and increasing confidence in political institutions and public authorities. Various national and international stakeholders were involved in developing the plan.
The People’s Assembly, which included 30 ethnic associations, played an important role in strengthening interethnic harmony, and preserving languages, culture and traditions of ethnic groups living in Kyrgyzstan. In April 2025, the National Agency for Religious Affairs and Interethnic Relations was established, which implemented State policy in the field of religious relations, strengthening interethnic harmony, providing early warning, and preventing interethnic conflicts.
Public reception offices for interethnic relations operated in 23 multiethnic districts, carrying out preventive measures, monitoring work in places where multiethnic communities lived, and promoting effective interaction with the civil sector. In 2024, these offices carried out more than 1,100 early warning and prevention measures regarding interethnic conflicts, and close to 4,000 measures over the past four years. As a result of this work, the number of interethnic incidents had decreased four-fold.
Kyrgyzstan had created a legal framework to prevent discrimination in the courts. The constitutional principle of equality before the law and the courts was reflected in the Criminal Procedure Code and laws on the status and behaviour of judges, as well as on the Supreme Court and local courts.
The State party supported members of all ethnic groups in Kyrgyzstan to preserve, study and develop their native languages. In 161 local schools, students had the opportunity to study in Uzbek. In 22 of them, education took place only in Uzbek. The State strove to implement a balanced language policy that would foster a new trilingual generation of Kyrgyz citizens who spoke the official languages and one foreign language, while ensuring guarantees for the preservation of the native languages of ethnic communities. Kyrgyzstan had developed a regulatory framework for its multilingual and multicultural education programmes.
Questions by a Committee Expert
GUAN JIAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said that the high-level delegation showed the great importance that the State party attached to the dialogue.
The demographic data that the State party had provided was not sufficiently comprehensive or specific. How did the State party apply the principle of self-identification in data collection on ethnicity, and how would it implement the Committee’s recommendations on data collection as soon as possible?
Mr. Guan commended the State party’s legislative work. However, in its previous concluding observations, the Committee expressed concern about the persistent lack of anti-discrimination legislation, calling on the State party to adopt such legislation in line with the Convention, with assistance from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Had progress been made in this regard? How did the Criminal Code of 2019 contribute to combatting racial discrimination? A draft anti-discrimination law was submitted to Parliament in 2023 but was subsequently removed from its agenda for revision. Why was this?
The previous concluding observations also called for compliance with Convention obligations in the judicial field. During the reporting period, law enforcement units initiated 189 criminal cases related to incitement to ethnic, racial, religious or interregional hostility. Were all these cases brought before the courts? Did the judicial system have internal guidelines for handling cases involving racial discrimination? Were there rules and procedures on cooperation between judicial bodies and the Office of the Ombudsperson on such cases? Were regular training courses on anti-racial discrimination provided for judicial personnel? Could the delegation provide examples of cases of racial discrimination where the provisions of the Convention had been invoked in, or applied by, domestic courts?
Mr. Guan expressed appreciation for the State party’s policy efforts related to racial discrimination, including the national action plan on development of the civil identity of Kyrgyz jarany (Kyrgyz citizen) for the period 2021-2026 and the national development strategy for 2018-2040. What preliminary achievements had been made by these policies, and by the State programme for the security and socioeconomic development of border areas, and what challenges remained?
The Committee was concerned that the Office of the Ombudsperson was not in compliance with the Paris Principles and that it received a low number of complaints of racial discrimination. What measures had the State party taken to strengthen the mandate of the Office to effectively promote human rights and to independently monitor and evaluate progress in the implementation of the Convention, while ensuring adequate financial and human resources to carry out its mandate? Had the State adopted a 2017 bill aiming to strengthen the independence of the institution? Why had its head been dismissed in 2023?
Mr. Guan expressed appreciation for the State party’s endeavours to prohibit and punish racist hate speech and hate crimes, including in the media and over the internet, according to its Constitution, Criminal Code and other laws. The State party had also reported that there were no recorded cases over the reporting period of racist statements in the media or incitement to hatred by politicians or public figures. However, conflicts between the country’s various ethnic groups had occurred in recent years, and development gaps and uneven opportunities between different ethnic groups in some regions still existed.
The State party needed to consider early detection and preventative measures to prevent hate speech, including awareness raising campaigns, incentives for strengthening self-regulation of media, systematic monitoring of online hate speech, and capacity building for State authorities. Could the delegation provide data on cases of hate speech and ethnic groups involved in conflict, and rates of completion of trials on such cases?
The Committee had previously called on the State party to put an end to racial profiling by the police, undertake effective investigations into all allegations of racial profiling, hold those responsible accountable, and provide effective remedies to victims, as well as to develop training programmes for law enforcement officers on identifying, investigating and prosecuting racist incidents. Mr. Guan welcomed educational seminars and training of citizens as part of the programme on Kyrgyz jarany (Kyrgyz citizen). What measures were in place to ensure that law enforcement officers did not engage in racial profiling?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Kyrgyzstan was committed to its obligations under the Convention and took every effort to prevent racial discrimination. A bill on the rights of minorities had been prepared to strengthen legal mechanisms to prevent racial discrimination. However, Parliament had called for the revision of this bill to consider different views and proposals; this process was ongoing.
Kyrgyzstan was a poly-ethnic State. As of January 2025, the State had a population of 7.2 million. The 2022 census revealed that Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Russians, Uyghurs and Kazakhs represented the largest ethnic groups. Citizens had the right to voluntarily report their ethnic identity in the census. The Constitution enshrined the equality of all citizens regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.
Discrimination in all forms was prohibited in Kyrgyzstan. No person could be discriminated against based on race, ethnicity or other characteristics. The State provided judicial protection from all forms of discrimination. Courts treated people equally regardless of their ethnicity. All persons subjected to discrimination could file a complaint with the courts. The Supreme Court had called on the State party to revise laws that contravened the Constitution. In cases of serious crimes such as murder and ill-treatment, discriminatory motives based on race, ethnicity, religion, language or other grounds were considered to be aggravating circumstances and could be qualified as crimes against humanity.
The Ministry of the Interior provided 1,000 hours of training for newly recruited law enforcement officers, which included classes on human rights, international human rights law, and preventing all forms of discrimination. Disciplinary cases had been brought against 5,400 officials in recent years. A service had been established for submitting complaints against law enforcement officers. There were 53 cases related to racial discrimination in 2023 and 47 in 2024. The judicial academy, from 2019, had also trained 429 judges on international human rights standards. There were judges of Russian, Tartar and Kurd ethnicity in the Supreme Court.
The Office of the Ombudsperson provided oversight on human rights issues in the State. A new constitutional law on increasing the independence and powers of the Office and bringing the Office in line with the Paris Principles had been developed. Recently, the Office’s budget had been increased to allow it to carry out its activities more effectively.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
GUAN JIAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked whether the national statistics committee had a fixed term for carrying out the next census. How many staff members did the Ombudsperson’s Office have and what were their roles? What were the sources of its funding and what was its annual budget? How did it work with courts and law enforcement? Did the Office have branches in each region of the country?
A Committee Expert said racist incidents in the country seemed to have increased over the years, but disciplinary measures against the police seemed to be decreasing. In how many disciplinary cases had police officers been convicted? What were the outcomes of disciplinary proceedings?
One Committee Expert congratulated the State party on having completely eradicated statelessness. Did the State party ensure the independence of the Council of Human Rights, which was under the President’s Office? What findings had the Council made? How did it cooperate with civil society?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that currently, 115 persons worked for the Ombudsperson’s Office, which had branch offices in seven regions. The Office’s financial resources had increased each year in recent years. The Office had departments for oversight on human rights and children’s rights, a complaints department, and a department for judicial activities. The Office monitored the rights and freedoms of citizens during both open and closed judicial proceedings. It cooperated with law enforcement agencies and monitored the compliance of these agencies with their human rights obligations.
All law enforcement agents underwent training activities on human rights. Disciplinary offences for police officers were not administrative or criminal processes; they were internal processes. Persons could submit complaints against officers via social media and email. If investigations found that crimes had been committed, cases were transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office. There had been an increase in complaints recently, which had led to an increase in disciplinary proceedings, but around half of complaints were found to be groundless.
The Kyrgyz jarany (Kyrgyz citizen) project promoted respect for diversity, social cohesion and statehood. Under the project, some 23 regions had established offices that carried out monitoring and activities to prevent interethnic conflicts, including meetings with ethnic community representatives and training activities.
The State programme on the development of border areas aimed at improving the living conditions of the population in these areas, strengthening the State border and reducing internal migration. There were plans to develop infrastructure, agriculture and electrical supply, and reduce natural disasters in these areas. The comprehensive programme of socio-economic development of regions was also in place, which included policies for the development of mountainous and border regions.
Questions by a Committee Expert
MAZALO TEBIE, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, said public offices responsible for interethnic issues had received 167 requests in 2022 related to preventing discrimination against ethnic groups. What follow-up was given to these requests? Could the delegation provide data on investigations into crimes motivated by racist hate speech and hate crimes occurring online and in the media? How did the State help victims to access legal aid and support services?
Reportedly, women and girls belonging to ethnic minorities, such as Uzbeks, Tajiks and Dungans, and rural women remained underrepresented in the public and political sphere, and patriarchal norms and socio-economic barriers restricted their access to education and professional opportunities. How were they encouraged to participate in public and private life? What measures were in place to prevent gender and ethnic stereotypes? Were there quotas or mechanisms to ensure fair representation of women from ethnic minorities in decision-making bodies? How did the State party support access to basic social services for minority women?
Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community had reportedly faced difficulties in accessing health services, and were frequently exposed to blackmail, intimidation, extortion, as well as arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment. What measures were in place to include these persons in awareness raising campaigns, prevent and investigate discrimination and violence against them, and ensure their access to legal protection?
There were reports of restrictions of rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and opinion in the State party. Human rights defenders and journalists were frequently exposed to threats, stigmatisation, arrests, arbitrary detentions, and sanctions such as fines, expulsions or closures of entities. Kyrgyzstan had fallen 50 places in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, to 122nd out of 180 countries. What was being done to prevent the intimation of human rights defenders, to guarantee freedom of expression and other fundamental freedoms, and to release detained journalists, human rights defenders and non-governmental organization leaders?
In 2024, the President promulgated a law on “foreign agents”. How would the State party address concerns related to this law, which seemingly could force some non-governmental organizations to close or self-censor? What safeguards were in place to ensure that civil society organizations could operate freely, regardless of their foreign funding? Many non-governmental organizations had reported an increase in negative attitudes to their work by State representatives. What measures were in place to protect non-governmental organizations from interference and intimidation by public authorities?
A general ban on public assemblies had been imposed in 2022 to prevent certain peaceful assemblies. Why was this ban introduced? How did the State party ensure that citizens could exercise their right to freedom of assembly? What measures were planned to prevent abuses of this ban by the police? Were there any redress mechanisms for citizens sanctioned under this ban?
New laws had been implemented that banned wearing of religious clothing, including the niqab, in public spaces, and proselytising outside places of worship. Why had these new restrictions, which ran the risk of violating the right to freedom of religion, been introduced? How did the State party protect the right to freedom of religion and prevent religious minorities from being marginalised by these laws?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said non-profit organizations played an important part in life in Kyrgyzstan, helping to solve societal problems. Amendments were brought to the law on non-commercial organizations in 2024 that aimed to ensure transparency and accountability for these organizations. Inclusion of these organizations in the State register ensured transparency in their finances.
The State party banned discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, who were guaranteed equal access to justice. In one case, it was found that a television station had recorded a member of this community without their permission; the station was issued with a fine in response.
There were 21,000 civil service employees, of which 35 per cent were women. There were 340 members of minority groups in the civil service. There were no quotas for employment in the civil service.
The draft bill on freedom of worship and religious associations sought to bring State legislation on religion in line with international norms. It included regulations on registration of religious organizations and sites and labour relations in such organizations. Freedom of worship was a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution and the legal system. There was no ban specifically on religious clothing, only a ban on covering one’s face in public institutions. Religious organizations could not proselytise, but there were no other bans on their activities.
Under State law, no one had the right to restrict peaceful assemblies. Laws prevented citizens from being forced to participate in meetings. Public authorities needed to ensure public safety, and could ban public meetings that threatened public order.
A new bill on the media had been prepared in 2022. The bill was now under review in the President’s Office. Representatives of the media fully supported this bill, which prevented the spread of disinformation online. In 2025, only 25 complaints related to online hate speech had been received by the State; the State had moved to block websites in response in seven cases.
Questions by Committee Experts
MAZALO TEBIE, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, said that the State party had established several measures to prevent discrimination against minorities. How did it evaluate the effectiveness of these measures? Could women wear the niqab? How did the State party ensure freedom of religion?
There was a phenomenon in Kyrgyzstan called “ala kachuu” (bride kidnapping), in which young women or girls were abducted by men and forced into marriage. This practice was said to mainly affect women and girls from rural communities, and from marginalised and vulnerable groups. What actions had been taken to ensure the effective implementation of laws prohibiting the practice, and to raise awareness among rural communities about women's rights? What support services were available to abducted women and girls? Did the State party have up-to-date data on the most affected ethnic groups or regions?
Another Committee Expert asked whether there was a framework for the participation of minorities in all law-making processes.
FAITH DIKELEDI PANSY TLAKULA, Committee Expert and Follow-Up Rapporteur, said that the Committee’s previous concluding observations had called on the State party to implement the views of the Human Rights Committee and pardon Azimjan Askarov, considering his poor health. The Committee deeply regretted that he had passed away five days after the State party had reported that his health was improving. What measures were in place to protect human rights defenders, journalists and non-governmental organizations working on the rights of ethnic minorities from reprisals?
A Committee Expert welcomed that there were thousands of civil society organizations in the State party. Did they take part in meetings preparing for the current dialogue? How many of these organizations had been banned?
Another Committee Expert said that in one court case concerning an attack against homosexual persons, the court had sent back the case to the prosecution. What happened to the case after this? Was the fine issued to the television station for recording a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community without their permission sufficient?
GUAN JIAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, welcomed measures to promote the protection of equal rights for all ethnic groups. The Committee had previously expressed concern about the low living standards of the Mughat, characterised by high unemployment and school dropout rates; land expropriation, home demolitions and forced evictions, disproportionately affecting Uzbeks from Osh and Jalalabad and frequently carried out in the absence of due process guarantees; discrimination against Uzbeks in access to work; and the absence of remedies for persons arbitrarily dismissed from their posts following the events of 2010. What measures were implemented to address the Committee’s concerns?
Parliamentary deputies’ seats had in 2021 been reduced from 120 to 90. Representatives of minority ethnic communities had held 16 seats in 2021. What impact did the reduction of seats have on the representation of ethnic groups? As of 2022, some 11 per cent of members of local councils and four per cent of State and municipal administration staff were members of minority ethnic groups, while 3.1 per cent of police officers were from minority groups. What measures were in place to increase minority representation in these bodies and the judiciary?
Mr. Guan welcomed the State party’s efforts to promote multilingual education. The law on education stated that educational services could be provided in a foreign language. Were minority languages considered to be “foreign languages”? What financing was provided for multilingual education? There were only 2,450 ethnic Uzbeks, 125 ethnic Tajiks, and 417 Dungans studying in their mother tongues in Kyrgyzstan in 2021. Why were these numbers so low?
Many institutions had been established by the State party to address interethnic tensions, such as the public advisory councils on interethnic relations; community liaison offices; the monitoring centre of the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sport and Youth Policy; and the interagency commission. Were these organizations run by the State or non-governmental organizations? What were each of their tasks, including in implementing the Kyrgyz jarany (citizens of Kyrgyzstan) plan? What personnel did these institutions have, how were their powers divided, and how did they cooperate with law enforcement?
Related to June 2010 ethnic violence in the south of the State, among a total of 5,642 criminal cases initiated by law enforcement agencies, proceedings had been suspended in 3,919 cases, a majority of the cases, while inquiries were being conducted. What data could be provided on these suspended cases?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said bridal theft was a form of violence against women. This crime was punished under criminal legislation and punishments had recently been strengthened. Persons who abducted women for the purpose of marriage were punished with up to seven years imprisonment, or up to 20 years for the abduction of minors. No amnesty was provided to perpetrators. In 2022, courts found 42 individuals guilty of these crimes. In all schools, a special subject was taught that addressed kidnapping and abductions, explaining that these actions were crimes.
Some 97 per cent of children in the State party attended schools. The State promoted education in native tongues and official languages. More than 4,000 children were being taught in the Uzbek language, and there were also special schools teaching in other minority ethnic languages such as Tajik.
Currently, there were around 1,500 members of ethnic minorities serving as civil servants, some 35 per cent of whom were women. There were three representatives of minority ethnic groups currently serving in Parliament. Uzbeks, Dungans, Russians and Kazakhs were represented in parliamentary deputy seats, five per cent of which were held by women.
After the events of June 2010, more than 5,300 criminal cases had been launched and more than 300 people had been brought to justice, including one life sentence conviction. Investigations were based on respect for human rights and ethnicity was not a factor in the consideration of cases. Kyrgyzstan was committed to carrying out fair trials in line with international standards. There were some 42 cases involving murder, and several cases involving destruction of public and private property. Some three billion som in damages were incurred by the State.
Regarding the death in custody of Azimjan Askarov, the central prison hospital had diagnosed him with pneumonia and had provided him with treatment; however, he had rejected this treatment, leading to his death. An investigation into the death was ongoing.
The case of an alleged attack on homosexual people had been dropped after being returned to the prosecution. Regarding the case of a transgender girl recorded by a television station, courts provided financial compensation for moral damage, considering the degree of damage caused and the circumstances of the case.
Questions by Committee Experts
GUAN JIAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, called for more detailed information on public works undertaken in Osh city without the permission of local residents, and the situation of the Mughat community, some members of which were relocated after their lands were flooded. Were affected people provided with compensation?
A Committee Expert said that racial discrimination and climate change inhibited access to health for the Mughat community. How did the State party promote access to health, safe food and drinking water for this community, and access to reproductive health rights for its women and children?
Another Committee Expert asked whether parents who refused to send their children to school were criminally prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State party was implementing a project to digitally register all newborns, which had promoted 100 per cent registration of births in the Mughat community. Some 95 per cent of the Kyrgyz population had access to drinking water. The State party was building water pipelines to increase access to drinking water in remote communities, including to the Mughat community.
Citizens had the inalienable right to healthcare services, regardless of their ethnicity or other characteristics. The programme on State guarantees approved in 2023 aimed to improve access to medical services for vulnerable groups and increase the quality of health services.
Parents were required to send school age children to school. They had the right to choose the language of education and between public and private schools or homeschooling. A bill had been developed that called for fining of parents who refused to send their children to school.
The State party had identified sites for demolition in Osh in a project to develop public roads. Some 69 million som had been provided in compensation to persons whose homes or property were affected. Persons who felt that their property rights had been infringed by State development projects could file complaints in court.
The Coordinating Council on Human Rights was an advisory council that sought to improve the implementation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the State party. Headed by the Deputy Prime Minister and including representatives of State authorities and the Ombudsperson, it coordinated the preparation of reports to international treaty bodies and implementation of these bodies’ recommendations.
Parliament included representatives of national ethnic groups, who were involved in drafting legislation. A web portal had also been set up that allowed citizens to make comments on legislative proposals.
Questions by a Committee Expert
MAZALO TEBIE, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, said the Committee welcomed the State’s initiatives regarding the protection of refugees, including planned accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, and the national action plan on migration management for 2022 to 2025. However, there was a high rate of rejection of applications for refugee status, and some refugees reportedly lived in precarious conditions, including in overcrowded temporary shelters with limited access to healthcare, clean water and education. Uyghur, Uzbek and Chechen refugees and asylum seekers were reportedly extremely vulnerable. What measures were in place to protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers and promote access to residence?
In 2024, protests against migrants had been held, leading to violence against foreigners with legal residence status. What measures were in place to prevent violence against foreigners, including irregular migrants, and to provide victims with support? Migrants employed in the agricultural and construction sectors often faced precarious working conditions, with limited access to health and support services. What measures were in place to protect the rights of migrant workers, establish clear standards for the employment of migrants, and promote their integration into society? Were there institutions that assessed working conditions for migrants?
Nearly one in four Kyrgyz citizens migrated to neighbouring countries to work. These emigrants reportedly struggled to access basic services in host countries. Why did many women choose to emigrate? What measures were in place to support them, including in Russia? There were some Kyrgyz nationals in Syria and Iraq that were reportedly waiting to be repatriated. How was the State party supporting their return?
The Committee had received reports of numerous cases of extradition of refugees and asylum seekers, including Uyghurs from China and Uzbeks. How did the State party prevent refoulement? How many extradited migrants had been subjected to refoulement?
The State party had implemented a law that guaranteed the civil registration of all children. Kyrgyzstan was also the first country in the region to have resolved all known cases of statelessness; this was commendable. However, the Government had proposed amendments in 2023 to the citizenship law that prevented the conferral of Kyrgyz citizenship to the children of foreign parents born in Kyrgyzstan. This could lead to statelessness. How was the State party bringing its legislation on statelessness in line with international standards?
What measures had been taken to provide continuous training to judges and lawyers on human rights, discrimination and the application of the Convention? How many judges and lawyers had been trained?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that in Kyrgyzstan, refugees had the right to health and education services and the right to freedom of movement. The State assessed each application for refugee status in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and promoted the integration of refugees into society. From 2019 to 2024, the State party had received around 300 appeals against decisions to refuse refugee status. Around 140 of these cases had gone to the cassation court, which had decided to grant refugee status in some cases.
Kyrgyzstan upheld the principle of non-refoulement. Extraditions could not be carried out if there was suspicion of the person involved being subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Kyrgyzstan worked with international partners to assess risks in individual cases. In 2024, the State party extradited 49 foreign citizens, including seven to the Russian Federation. None of these persons had requested refugee status.
Some 37 criminal cases had been initiated in response to violent incidents relating to 2024 protests against migrants. The State party was carrying out activities to prevent broad-scale violations against foreign nationals, including ongoing informational activities. Local populations now understood better the rights of foreign nationals.
State laws regulated the situation of stateless persons in Kyrgyzstan. Efforts to address statelessness were ongoing. The State party had devised procedures for providing the children of stateless persons with identification documents, including the 2024 project that ensured 100 per cent issuance of birth certificates to newborns.
Consular services provided for the protection of Kyrgyz citizens abroad, including migrant workers. The Ombudsperson’s Office received complaints of rights violations from migrants and implemented response measures. Children of Kyrgyz migrants needed to be able to speak basic Russian to attend school in the Russian Federation; the State party thus provided Russian language courses to these children.
The State party had trained 429 judges in 2025 on international human rights standards. The judiciary was committed to promoting diversity and equality.
In 2021, the State party repatriated more than 400 citizens from Iraq and Syria, including children. Measures had been implemented to promote the reintegration and rehabilitation of these citizens and prevent their stigmatisation.
Questions by Committee Experts
MAZALO TEBIE, Committee Expert and Country Co-Rapporteur, asked whether only foreigners who did not have refugee status could be extradited. The Committee hoped that the law implementing the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol would be adopted soon. If foreign women who were married to Kyrgyz men divorced, did their children keep Kyrgyz nationality? Why did the State party require foreigners to take HIV tests? The State party had developed a “compatriots of foreign nationality” card. Who were these “compatriots of foreign nationality”?
A Committee Expert said there had been a reported drop in teaching of the Uzbek language after the 2010 violence. Were nation-wide examinations conducted in the Uzbek language for students learning in that language?
Another Committee Expert asked if training course for judicial officials addressed the application of the Convention in civil and criminal cases. Were there examples of judicial decisions where the Convention was applied?
A Committee Expert congratulated the State party on eradicating statelessness as of 2019, and for developing a statelessness determination procedure. Kyrgyzstan needed to ratify the statelessness conventions and share its best practices with other nations.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that under national legislation, refugees could not be extradited. The State party waited until processes considering applications for refugee status concluded before considering extradition. Two draft bills on acceding to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol were currently under consideration.
If one parent had Kyrgyz nationality, children could receive Kyrgyz nationality, regardless of the location of their birth. Children of stateless parents born in Kyrgyzstan were also granted Kyrgyz nationality. Persons could lose Kyrgyz nationality if they served in the army of a foreign State or if they received citizenship after submitting falsified documents. Kyrgyz citizens could change their citizenship only once; persons needed to submit documents proving their ethnic identity to change their citizenship. Divorces were not grounds for changing citizenship.
To enrol in universities in Kyrgyzstan, students needed to sit the General Republican Exam in either Kyrgyz or Russian.
Kyrgyzstan did not required foreigners to submit a certificate showing that they were HIV-negative when applying for a visa. Information related to HIV tests was not made public. Forced tests were carried out in a confidential manner based on court decisions.
Courts could apply international conventions directly. All criminal cases related to the June 2010 events had been closed, but affected persons had the right to appeal cases and seek compensation.
The children and grandchildren of Kyrgyz citizens who lived overseas had the right to apply for the “compatriots of foreign nationality” card, which allowed them to live and work in Kyrgyzstan without additional residence or work permits.
Closing Remarks
MICHAL BALCERZAK, Committee Chair, said the dialogue had been very constructive, addressing many issues. The information provided by the delegation would allow the Committee to develop targeted concluding observations.
GUAN JIAN, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, thanked the State party for its contributions to the dialogue, which had helped to make it a success. He expressed hope that the State party would follow-up on remaining unanswered questions and closed by thanking all persons who had contributed to the dialogue.
MARAT TAGAEV, Deputy Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan and head of the delegation, said that the Committee’s comments and questions would help the State party to strengthen measures to promote equality and prevent discrimination. Kyrgyzstan would continue to take active steps to prevent racial discrimination and implement the Convention, working in collaboration with civil society. The State party would work to implement the Committee’s recommendations and to build an inclusive and just society.
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CERD.25.08E