We are concerned about the upcoming trial against Ivar Dale in a local court in Bishkek on Friday 5 September. Dale is the Norwegian Helsinki Committee’s regional representative and has been accused of working for a non-registered organization in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.
In addition, an administrative case has been raised against two prominent local human rights activists, Tolekan Ismailova and Aziza Abdirasulova, who supported the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) when the office was raided on 9 June 2008. We are also concerned about their situation.
Since Ivar 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. Also, NHC has always been transparent about its work and projects in Kyrgyzstan and the region. Although all instructions and regulations concerning registration have been followed by NHC, this has not resulted in an official registration.
This is a pattern we have observed in many countries in the region, as for instance Belarus and Azerbaijan: official registration is impossible to obtain for critical voices working for human rights, or the process of registration takes many years. This is a violation of both the rights to be a human rights defender and the right to association. Article 5 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights Defenders states that:
“For the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels to form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups”.
The upcoming trial follows a series of harassments, which started on 9 June 2008 when the NHC’s office was raided and documents were photographed/copied. We believe that the court case is part of efforts by the Kyrgyz authorities to stop the NHC’s activities in Kyrgyzstan and in the Central Asian region. Hence, we have reason to believe that the court case is politically motivated.
We therefore urge you to ensure that the trial that is planned for 5 September 2008 will be fair, as is guaranteed in Article 14 of the ‘International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,’ of which the Republic of Kyrgyzstan is a signatory.
In addition, we urge you to give the NHC’s Bishkek office an official registration as a legal entity in the country.
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