Kyrgyzstan: Human Rights Update

The Kyrgyz government’s human rights record has steadily deteriorated during the past several years. Human Rights Watch has documented serious rights violations, particularly in the areas of political participation, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression. Local rights groups in particular have exposed serious violations of fundamental rights. In addition, in its 2003 Freedom in the World report, the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Freedom House rated Kyrgyzstan “Not Free.”