Feedback ADC Memorial wishes to congratulate human rights defenders from Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan with their victory in court. Our colleagues were able to prove that searches of the group’s offices in Osh and the homes of its attorneys were gross violations of the rights of these human rights defenders.
A report from Bishkek states that “The Supreme Court has upheld a decision issued by a second instance court finding that searches of the offices of the Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan Human and the homes of its attorneys were illegal. This decision is final and may not be appealed.”
On March 27, 2015 officers from the GKNB (State Committee for National Security) conducted searches of the offices of the Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan Human Rights Movement in Osh and of the homes of Khusanbay Saliyev and Valeryan Vakhitov, attorneys with Bir Duino.
Computers and flash drives containing information related to criminal case materials, including in the case against the human rights defender Azimzhan Askarov, were confiscated, even though the confiscation of criminal case materials from lawyers is a gross violation of the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the activities of attorneys.
Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan regards the actions taken by GKNB authorities as a form of pressure on human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan and, specifically, the group’s attorneys, so it challenged these illegal actions in court.