Author: Gulshara Kubanychbek

Like thousands of other Kyrgyz citizens, Abdyjapar considers himself an internal migrant. He moved to the capital mainly for economic reasons, hoping for a better life. Bishkek and Osh are popular destinations for internal migration and internal migrants make up a reported 35% of Bishkek’s population. Most of them live in informal settlements around Bishkek, which means their numbers may even be higher than officially reported. As Abdyjapar explains, he struggles to access health and social services due to a registration system known as propiska, which requires migrants to register to receive public services such as health care, water, education,…

Police in Kyrgyzstan’s capital say they have detained three people as part of ongoing investigations into a spate of beatings by drug gang enforcers. The arrests announced on April 4 are shedding some scant light on the often-underreported problem of underground narcotics trading in a region that is seeing a growth in the spread of synthetic drugs. Last week, video footage circulating on social media showed a scene, seemingly filmed in Kyrgyzstan, of a drug courier being assaulted by a gang of enforcers from a group of traffickers operating under the name Princessa Duri (Princess Dope). Going by the content…

The ministry filed the lawsuit before a district court in the capital, Bishkek, on January 23, 2023. The ministry blocked access to Azattyk Media’s websites and froze its bank account in October 2022, following the outlet’s coverage of a border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Azattyk Media filed a legal appeal. The hearing is scheduled for January 26. “Shutting down Azattyk Media would be a huge blow to media freedom in Kyrgyzstan and the lawsuit should be immediately withdrawn,” said Syinat Sultanalieva, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The government needs to end its attempts to control and censor independent journalism in Kyrgyzstan and restore its…

Women’s entrepreneurship in Kyrgyzstan needs credits and subsidies. The President of the Association of Agro Businessmen Zher Azygy, a member of the Coordinating Council of Demilgiluu Aiymdar Coalition Aziza Yuldasheva told at a press conference. She noted that women in the regions cannot get a loan due to the lack of property. «There is no special financial support for women. Therefore, in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Agenda, we are introducing the conditions for lending from the state. If women were given subsidies, they could also work in the agricultural sector. Females have no property. Therefore, it is difficult for them to get a loan for business. The fairer sex is more responsible,» said Aziza Yuldasheva. Ainura Sagynbaeva, chairwoman of the coalition’s coordinating council, noted that…

The ex-Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have said that they finished demarcating their contested border to end sporadic deadly clashes. Since the demise of the Soviet Union, parts of the 1,400-kilometre border have been disputed, leading to clashes between local communities over access to water or agricultural land. “Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have completed their border demarcation process… putting an end to the border issue,” Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said Friday. The agreement -approved by both parliaments last year after three decades of talks- was signed during a visit from Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. “This…

Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov has sent a congratulatory letter to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev. His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, The beginning of 2023 is marked by an auspicious occasion – the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan. On the occasion of this wonderful event, I am sincerely glad to congratulate you and the fraternal people of Azerbaijan. I am proud that the relations between our peoples, resting on a reliable foundation of centuries-old friendship, linguistic, cultural, religious and historical…