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Kyrgyzstan

Monthly Event Reports

February 2024 | ‘Foreign representatives’ bill moves forward amid outcry
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Kyrgyzstan’s parliament approved the second reading of a much-criticized ‘foreign representatives’ bill on the second reading on 22 February. The draft bill requires NGOs that receive foreign funding to register as “foreign representatives”, submit annual audits, and be subjected to other bureaucratic requirements that critics say will require most to cease operations. The bill has been criticized by domestic civil society, international human rights NGOs, OSCE officials, and the United States government for its negative impact on civil society in the country, who have noted its close relation to Russia’s infamous “foreign agent” legislation. The bill is expected to pass a third reading and be signed into law by President Sadyr Japarov, who has championed the bill and singled out American criticism as hypocritical, citing the dissimilar but similarly named American Foreign Agents Registration Act.

January 2024 | International outcry over media crackdown

International human rights groups called for Kyrgyzstan to drop criminal charges against six independent media organizations on 16 January following police raids on the homes of numerous journalists and newsrooms. The Interior Ministry claims it is investigating “war propaganda” and “calls to mass disorder” in the media outlets’ reporting, under various statutes which carry penalties of up to eight years in prison. It is unclear what reporting the charges relate to, although journalists from the 24.kg news agency’s questioning indicated some are related to their coverage of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The raids come in the wake of legal pressure such as the attempted closures and blocking of websites of other independent and critical media outlets in recent months, and a draft media law that has been criticized by United Nations experts, domestic media, and rights organizations as overly restrictive.

December 2023 | President Japarov inaugurates new permanent Kurultai

President Sadyr Japarov oversaw the first sitting of the People’s Kurultai on 15 December, a new and permanent branch of government made up of 700 members appointed via a largely opaque process. The new body is parallel to the Kyrgyz parliament and can initiate legislation and make recommendations to the president about dismissing cabinet members. However, members reportedly dedicated most of the two-day meeting to speeches praising President Japarov. The Kurultai has been criticized by observers and activists as diluting the power of parliament and further cementing Japarov’s control over political decision-making, and was approved in a 2021 constitutional referendum criticized by independent observers as both vague and rife with election-day irregularities.

September 2023 | New powers subordinate courts to president

The Kyrgyz parliament passed a law on 28 September which will allow the president to overrule Constitutional Court decisions that are against the “moral values and social conscience of the people,” essentially giving President Sadry Japarov power over the judicial branch. Unusually, the law was introduced without prior discussion and quickly passed through multiple readings without significant parliamentary debate.  Supporters argued  the speed was necessary in to respond to a June Constitutional Court decision allowing Kyrgyz citizens over the age of 16 to adopt matronymics and instead defend what they claim are traditional Kyrgyz values.

Explore past monthly event reports

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%
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
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Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
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Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
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Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
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Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
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Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
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Dec
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Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/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
0
/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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