NHC’s regional rep. to be tried in Administrative Court in Bishkek

Ivar Dale, right, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) regional representative to Central Asia will be tried in a local court in Bishkek on Thursday 4 September. Dale has been accused of illegal work in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The trial is the next step in a series of attacks by Kyrgyz authorities against the NHC office in Kyrgyzstan, which started in June 2008 when the office was raided. (02-SEP-08)

Based on NHC´s own article , first published today on the organisation´s own website , this article has been edited and prepared for republication here by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz. Photo of Engesland: HRH F / Harbitz.

-We believe this to be part of the efforts by Kyrgyz authorities to stop NHC´s activities in Kyrgyzstan and in the Central Asian region. We have reason to believe that this is politically motivated, says NHC´s Secretary General Bjørn Engesland, left. Engesland will attend the court hearing during the case against Dale, and meet with national and international officials in Bishkek. A press conference will be held on Friday 5 September.

Confusing accusations, no known charges
The Kyrgyz Ministry of the Interior brought action against NHC´s staff in Kyrgyzstan based on the NHC Bishkek office lacking official registration as a legal entity in the country. Although the 4 September 2008 trial against Dale is linked to the lack of registration, it is still unclear on what grounds the authorities will try him. On one occasion Dale has been accused of giving false information about his work place in his visa application. On another, Dale was told that he indeed had given the NHC as his place of work, but since the NHC office is not yet registered in Kyrgyzstan there is no basis for granting a work permit. A criminal case has also been raised against two prominent local human rights activists, Tolekan Ismailova and Aziza Abdirasulova, who supported the NHC when the office was raided in June.

Buraucracy used to force international NGOs out, and national to silence
Since Dale arrived in Bishkek in 2006 to open the office, the NHC has made every effort to register the office with the Ministry of Justice, only to meet bureaucratic obstacles along the way. The process has been going on for more than one and a half years. The attacks against the NHC office in Bishkek may be seen in the context of negative developments related to acceptance by Kyrgyz authorities of NGO activities. Similar developments cause concern not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also in the other countries in Central Asia. The attacks started after an announcement of grants programmes in Uzbekistan. Independent human rights work is not accepted in Uzbekistan, and Uzbek internal security authorities may be active with their Kyrgyz counterparts in trying to press the NHC to leave the country and the region. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee has received support from the OSCE, the European Union, the US and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the case.