The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention concerning the following situation in Kyrgyzstan.

Brief description of the situation:

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR), a member of the SOS-Torture network, about the ill-treatment of Ms. Nargiza Turdieva from Suzak district, Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan.

According to the information received, Ms. Turdieva was summoned by the Department of Internal Affairs on January 14, 2006, to testify as a witness in a case of theft of golden jewellery that belonged to Mr. Husanbai Mamarazykov (worth 250,000 US dollars) allegedly by his neighbours, Ms. M. and Ms. R..

According to the information received, staff members of the Criminal Investigation Department had found the jewellery in the possession of the two women. However, some time later the criminal investigators who had seized the items let the suspects go and told Mr. Mamarazykov there had been a mistake. Mr. Mamarazykov never received back the golden items seized by the Criminal Investigation Department. The case was then transferred to Mr. Mageyev from the Department of Internal Affairs, who summoned Ms. Turdieva as a witness.

As Ms. Turdieva arrived at Mr. Mageyev’s office and was going to sit down, he reportedly grabbed her arms, pushed her and began insulting her, calling her a “prostitute” and a “thief”. As she asked what she was insulted and beaten for, Mr. Mageyev hit her on the chest and requested that she denies her testimony, threatening her with claims he would “do everything possible to put [her] into prison and let [her] die there”. Ms. Turdieva then started bleeding and told Mr. Mageyev that she was pregnant and feared she could lose her baby. The officer allegedly replied that “at a temporary detention cell [she] will have another baby conceived”. Ms. Turdieva managed to run way and call for husband for help in the street.

After these events, Ms. Turdieva was taken to a Suzak maternity hospital. According to Ms. Bubusara Amanbaeva, head of maternity department, on January 14, 2006, Ms. Turdieva was at “risk of termination of pregnancy.” On January 23 she was discharged from the hospital.

According to the information received, Ms. Turdieva reported these facts to the Oblast Prosecutor’s office. However, she fears nothing will be done in this regard. Indeed, in August 2005, a complaint had been filed by Mr. Ibragimov, resident of Suzak district, who stated that Mr. Mageyev had extorted 10,000 soms from him. The case was transferred to the Oblast Prosecutor’s office. However, up until now no reply has been received from the institution. The human rights organisation Spravedlivost decided to address both cases directly to the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Marat Sutalinov. Subsequently, Mr. Mageyev filed a lawsuit against Ms. Turdieva and members of the NGO Spravedlivost, requesting an amount of 25,000 US dollars on the basis of alleged defamation.

OMCT recalls that the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women states in its article 4(c) that States should "exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons."

Requested action:

Please write to the authorities in Kyrgyzstan urging them to:

1. ensure Ms. Nargiza Turdieva’s physical and psychological integrity, including her access to adequate medical treatment;
   
2. carry out a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into the ill-treatment of Ms. Turdieva, in order to identify all those responsible and to bring them to justice and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
   
3. more generally, ensure women the right to be free from discrimination, including violence, in line with international law and standards;
   
4. guarantee the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
   
   

Addresses:

? Mr. Bakiev Kurmanbek Salievich, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyzskaya Respublika, 720003 g. Bishkek, Prospekt Chuy, 205, Fax: 996 312 218 627, Email: ghpress2@rhl.bishkek.su

? Mr. Kulov Felix Sharshenbaevich, Vice Prime Minister, Fax: 996 312 218 627

? Mr. Marat Sutalinov, Minister of the Interior, Fax: 996 312 663 031, 996 312 288 788

? Mr. Mamyrov Erkin, Minister of Justice, Fax: 996 312 663 044 / 996 312 65 65 02

? Mr. Azimbek Beknazarov, General Prosecutor of the Kyrgyz Republic, Fax: 996 312 665 411

? Colonel Nurlan Temirbaev, Head of the Oblast Department of Internal Affairs, Jalal-Abad, Fax: +996 3722 503 33

? Mr. Abdibakit Halmurzaev, Oblast Prosecutor's office, Jalal-Abad, Fax: + 996 3722 501 19

? Permanent mission of Kyrgyzstan, Rue Maunoir 26, 1207 Geneva, Switzerland, Email: kyrgyzmission@bluewin.ch, Fax : +41 22 707.92.21

Please also write to the embassies of Kyrgyzstan in your respective country.

Geneva, 7 April 2006