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NGOs in Kyrgyzstan Have Two Months to Register as “Foreign Agents”

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Justice has approved the creation of a register for "non-governmental organizations performing the functions of a foreign representative", which gives authorities the right to inspect their activities. All non-profit agencies that receive foreign funding have been given two months from 16 May to submit documents to the ministry. Kyrgyz president Sadyr Zhaparov signed the law "on Foreign Representatives" on April 2, despite over 100 organizations and civil society figures appealing for him not to do so. Zhaparov made assurances at the time that non-governmental organizations would not be persecuted. Local NGOs funded from abroad that are engaged in political activities in Kyrgyzstan are now recognized as "performing the functions of a foreign representative", and are placed in a separate register. Organizations included in this register -- so-called 'foreign agents' -- may be subjected to various unscheduled inspections. Several international organizations, as well as the United States and certain countries in the European Union, have voiced criticisms of the new law. After it came into force, the Soros-Kyrgyzstan Foundation announced that it would be terminating its activities in Kyrgyzstan.

Bride Kidnapping Legislation Social Women's rights Crime Traditions

Why Have Cases of Abduction of Women for Marriage Not Decreased in Kazakhstan?

In Kazakhstan, the statistics related to criminal cases regarding the abduction of women as brides does not show material change, a study conducted by analysts at Ranking.kz shows. Referring to the data of the Committee on Legal Statistics and Special Records of the General Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan, the authors of the study report that last year, 18 such criminal cases were recorded. Of these, two-thirds (12 cases) were registered in the southern regions, and two cases each in the eastern, western and central parts of the country. The report notes that the problem is characteristic not only of remote rural settlements, but also of large metropolitan areas. Thus, 6 out of 12 ‘southern’ criminal cases of abduction of women were in Almaty, and a single case was registered in Astana. But the number of registered criminal cases on another related criminal offense, namely illegal deprivation of liberty that occurs when a woman is forcibly kept in the house of her fiancé, has noticeably decreased since 2018 from 71 to 13 cases nationwide. It is worth noting that these statistics only partially reflect the situation on the ground as some Kazakhs continue to disguise this criminal offense as the ancient custom of "qyz alyp qashu" (bride kidnapping). According to Artur Lastaev, the Commissioner for Human Rights in Kazakhstan, at least two factors affect the situation. Firstly, Kazakhstan does not have a separate article for abducting women for the purposes of marriage, and therefore all abductions of women are registered under one crime, i.e. Article 125 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Secondly, most of the abductions of women for marriage are not even included in statistical reports as they are often covered up. In his report last year, Lastaev wrote: "We can only guess about the real figures of bride theft. Stereotypes persist in society that do not allow women to report the use of this type of coercion. In most cases, perpetrators and victims are not even aware of the criminal nature of such acts and criminal responsibility for them." According to the data published by the Ombudsman within the framework of the International Scientific and Practical Conference, "Countering domestic violence: problems and solutions", 214 criminal cases have been initiated in Kazakhstan since 2019 for the abduction of women. Of these, 94.3% were terminated due to lack of corpus delicti. Only 10 cases were sent to the courts, and 27 people were brought to bear responsibility for their actions. The Commissioner for Human Rights believes that a separate article for abduction of women for forced marriage should be introduced into the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to Lastaev, this should have a preventative effect and reduce the level of crime against women. The General Prosecutor's Office, where the proposal has been sent, supported the initiative, but amendments to the laws have not yet been adopted. More than a year ago, experts from Kazakhstan’s Institute for Social Development conducted a sociological study on gender...

Cyber Security UN Legislation Strategy

Kazakhstan Joins UN Crime Prevention Commission for First Time

The 33rd session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) was held in Vienna. According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kazakhstan has been elected for the first time to the CPPUC for the period from 2025 to 2027 and "is ready to make its practical contribution to the work of the commission, taking into account the accumulated national experience in crime prevention and criminal justice." The permanent representative of Kazakhstan to international organizations in Vienna, Mukhtar Tleuberdi informed the participants of the session about the latest reforms in law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan, the development of the penitentiary system to bring it closer to international standards, including reducing the number of prisoners, rehabilitation, reintegration of citizens returning from conflict zones, as well as reducing the level of re-offenders. The Kazakh delegation also stressed the importance of developing international cooperation on preventing and combating organized crime, corruption, terrorism, and other criminal activities. "Mukhtar Tleuberdi emphasized the contribution of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and donor countries in the implementation of these tasks, assuring the further support of Kazakhstan to the activities of UNODC, including through the allocation of voluntary contributions to the Global Program against Cybercrime,", stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Repair and Reconstruction Kazakh Floods Government Legislation Economy

Floods in Kazakhstan: Affected Citizens Make Demands to the Authorities

The situation with floods in several regions of Kazakhstan remains critical. In Atyrau region, it has already acquired the character of a political crisis; in the city of Kulsary, since May 15, residents, dissatisfied with the amount of compensation offered have continued to speak out. On May 20, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the RK provided operational information on the flood situation. In Petropavlovsk, work on pumping out the remaining flooded 29 territories continue. During the day 153,320 cubic meters were pumped out. Due to the stabilization of flood situation in general, work in the region also involved rescuers from Almaty, Abay, Ulytau, Akmola, Karaganda, Kostanay, Pavlodar and Turkestan regions. In Atyrau region 66,770 cubic meters of water were pumped out from flooded areas, whilst around-the-clock monitoring of the water level of the River Zhaiyk and additional bank reinforcement works were undertaken in Atyrau and Makhambet districts. "Disinfection work is being carried out in drained houses and territories. Over the past six days, the units of radiation, chemical and biological protection of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the villages of Teplichnoye, Olshanka, Sokolovka, Vishnevka, Beskol, Pribrezhnoye of Kyzylzhar district of North Kazakhstan region disinfected 307 houses in the city of Kulsary of Atyrau region and some 165,000 square meters," officials stated. Some 61,348 evacuated people have returned to their homes, whilst 5,460 remain in temporary accommodation centers. About 22.4 million cubic meters of water from 11,319 private residences and 3,593-yard territories have been drained. Nevertheless, the water level in the River Zhaiyk remains at a critical level. In this regard, Kazakhstan continues to reduce spending on hospitality events, and today the International IT Forum Digital Bridge 2024, which was to be held from September 5-7 in Astana, was canceled. The organizers of Digital Bridge - the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the international technology park Astana Hub - reported that given favorable circumstances, it will resume its work in 2025. Last week, on May 15, residents in the town of Kulsary went to the building of the district Akimat (local authority) to demand compensation in the amount of 400,000 tenge ($905) per square meter of flooded houses. On May 16, eyewitnesses reported that outraged residents were still outside the Akimat having pitched tents and blocked the central street. Internet outages were observed in the city. On May 17, Atyrau Oblast Akim Serik Shapkenov arrived in Kulsary, where he said that when assessing the damage and determining the amount of compensation, many parameters were considered, from the quality of building materials, "down to the number of doors in the house... Now the average compensation per square meter when recognizing a house unfit for habitation is about 200-240,000 tenge per square meter ($540)," - he stated. Following the results of the tour, the head of the region instructed the Akim of the district to strengthen their explanatory work when familiarizing residents with the results of the assessment. On May 18, President...

Legislation Defense U.S. Military Information

Agreement on Classified Military Information Signed between Uzbekistan and U.S.

The agreement “On the ratification of the agreement between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the U.S. Department of Defense on measures to protect classified military information” was approved, Platina.uz reports. This decision was made during a regular plenary session of the Senate of Uzbekistan. The 25-point agreement prepared by the Senate Committee on International Relations, Foreign Economic Relations, Foreign Investments and Tourism, was signed in Washington on June 9, 2023. According to the chairman of the Committee, Ravshanbek Alimov, the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to the USA on May 15-17, 2018 was a strong impetus to the strategic development of Uzbekistan-U.S. relations. One of the important directions of partnership between the two countries is, of course, the military-technical partnership. In the discussion, it was noted that ratification of this agreement does not require any changes to the practical legislation of Uzbekistan or the allocation of additional funds from the budget.

Transport Legislation Traffic Air Pollution

Bishkek Bets on Bikes and Buses

To alleviate congestion and traffic bottlenecks in the capital, the Bishkek Mayor's Office has green-lit a strategic plan for enhancing the city's road transport infrastructure over the 2024-2030 period. This initiative, as detailed on the municipal website, encompasses an ambitious range of projects. Highlights include the construction of bridges and new road junctions, the introduction of bike lanes within the road network, the consolidation of dedicated lanes into a coherent system, the expansion of parking facilities including an increase in bicycle parking spaces, and the establishment of transport hubs and park-and-ride lots. The vision driving these efforts is to significantly reduce car dependency in Bishkek, promoting instead a robust network of public and bicycle transport options. Plans are underway to construct seven park-and-ride facilities around the city’s perimeter, encouraging commuters to opt for public transport upon entering Bishkek. City officials have consistently advocated for strategies to lower rampant smog levels and congestion, including proposals to limit private car access into the city based on a vehicle's license plate number. Furthermore, the Mayor's Office announced plans to establish at least two advanced transport and transfer hubs at key entry points into Bishkek. These hubs will serve as critical junctions for intercity and regional bus routes, facilitating seamless connections with the city's public transport system. By 2030, these initiatives aim to achieve a 20% reduction in car usage within the city and cut congestion by 30%.