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Kyrgyzstan

Monthly Event Reports

August 2023 | Officials take aim at Kloop, TikTok

Kyrgyz officials are taking steps to limit freedom of expression and access to information on the internet, as the Culture Ministry moved to ban TikTok and prosecutors sought the closure of a leading non-profit investigative media outlet, Kloop, in late August. Unlike other governments that have investigated TikTok on national security grounds, Kyrgyz officials argue it threatens youth morality by immersing “the user into a virtual world of short clips, and after watching them, teenagers try to mimic certain videos, some of which are life-threatening.” Kloop is being prosecuted on similar grounds, as prosecutors say its investigations into high-ranking officials cause “fear, anxiety, despair and panic” that may push readers to engage in abnormal sexual behaviour, succumb to addiction, or commit suicide.

July 2023 | Constitutional Court rules to allow matronymics

The Kyrgyz Constitutional Court partly sided with Altyn Kapalova, a single mother seeking to give her three children a matronymic instead of a patronymic, on 30 June, ruling that Kyrgyz citizens over the age of 16 could choose between the two on legal identity documents. The court ruled that the provision of the law “On Acts of Civil Status” mandating patronymic naming customs – where a first name is followed by one derived from the father’s name – was discriminatory, but that choosing between this and a matronymic derived from the mother’s name would be left up to adults to protect children from bullying. The decision was both celebrated as a win for gender equity and the rights of single mothers, as well as condemned by conservative Kyrgyz politicians who argued it was against established cultural norms. Kapalova has vowed to continue her campaign despite receiving death threats.

June 2023 | Parliament to regulate “harmful information”

A law adopted by the Kyrgyz parliament on 22 June provides for fines for a broad array of online content deemed to be “harmful information” to children, ranging from discussing “non-traditional sexual relations” to disrespecting parents or encouraging the consumption of drugs or alcohol. The Digital Development Ministry says it will work with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to block such information. The Media Policy Institute, a local press freedom organisation, has said the Ministry appears to not understand how Meta operates, and is one of the opponents of the law who argue it is instead a tool of censorship and will restrict access to information in the country.

May 2023 | Ombudswoman forced out after critical report

Kyrgyz human rights ombudswoman Adyr Abdrakhmatova was removed from her post by parliament on 3 May, three weeks after delivering a report on government human rights violations that upset high-ranking officials. Abdrakhmatova’s dismissal less than a year into her five-year term was criticized by international human rights organizations, the European Union, and diplomats as a sign of weak parliamentary independence and a sign of an ongoing decline in respect for human rights.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
6 694 200
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
President Sadyr Japarov
Head of government party
Ar-Namys
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Parallel
Women in lower or single chamber
20.5%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
6.29
Head of state
President Sadyr Japarov
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
20/01/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
63.91%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
State Party
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
in
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Categories of Democratic Performance

Representation neutral Representation
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Representation neutral Rights
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Representation
Representation
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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