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Brief Report
on the Situation with Human Rights of Uighurs in
Kyrgyzstan
Prepared by
East Turkistan Information Center (Munich, Germany)
Bishkek Human Rights Organization (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
February 16, 2002
According to the official statistics, the number of
Uighurs in Kyrgyzstan in 1999 is estimated at 46,700
people. About 80 ethnic groups live in Kyrgyzstan, and
the Uighurs are the fifth largest minority group after
Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Russians, and Dungans (Hui). The
Uighur population lives mostly in the following
regions: 13 thousand in the capital city of Bishkek,
11 thousand in Chui region, 4 thousand in Jalalabad
region, 4 thousand in Karakol region, and the rest
lives in other regions of Kyrgyzstan. Uighurs living
in Kyrgyzstan doubt these figures and estimate the
total number of Uighurs in Kyrgyzstan at about 100
thousand people. Many Uighurs in Osh and Jalalabad
regions changed their nationality to Uzbeks during
Soviet times.
Uighurs are hard working people in Kyrgyzstan living
in their communities mainly in cities, towns, and
their suburbs. This has played a great role in
preserving their mother tongue, ethnic culture,
customs, and identity. For instance, in Bishkek,
Uighurs live mainly in Tokildash, Lebedev, and
Alamidin districts.
The government of Kyrgyzstan has created certain
conditions for Uighurs to preserve and develop their
culture. For example, in 1996, at the faculty of
Oriental studies of the Kyrgyzstan State University,
the department of Uighur Studies was established, and
over 70 students were enrolled to study Uighur
language and literature. There are several prominent
Uighur intellectuals in Kyrgyzstan; professors Aziz
Narynbayev and Baturjan are among them. There are over
20 Uighurs who are Ph.D. degree holders. There are
regular weekly radio programs and a monthly TV program
in Uighur language. Two Uighur language newspapers,
“Ittipaq” (unity) and “Uyghur Avazi” (the Uighur voice),
are published in Kyrgyzstan.
From the negative side, although thousands of Uighurs
live in the city of Bishkek and its suburbs, there is
no single primary or secondary school with instruction
is Uighur language. Many Uighur children speak their
mother language with difficulty, and some do not speak
Uighur at all.
The main political Uighur organization in Kyrgyzstan
is Ittipaq (Unity). This association was established
in 1989, and it has 10 branches throughout Kyrgyzstan.
Ittipaq represent the Uighur community in Kyrgyzstan
and serves as the main communication tool of the
Uighur community with the Kyrgyz government. Over the
last 12 years, this organization has played a unique
role in the Uighur national movement. There is also a
human rights organization, the Bishkek Human Rights
Organization, which was established to guard the
interests of Uighurs of Kyrgyzstan and refugees from
East Turkistan (Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region).
This organization is lead by Mr. Tursun Islam.
In the economic sphere, like many other citizens of
Kyrgyzstan, the Uighurs of Kyrgyzstan face daily
difficulties with making living, high unemployment,
and low living standards. However, in comparison to
other ethnic groups, the overall economic well being
of Uighurs is somewhat better. Most of Uighurs in
Kyrgyzstan is involved in trade, commerce,
entrepreneurial activities, and restaurant business.
Many larger and better restaurants and cafeterias in
Bishkek are owned and operated by Uighurs. Many admire
hard-working and entrepreneurial skills of Uighurs.
For example, a Uighur, Tursuntay Salim, has
established a successful private small business, which
is a success story in Kyrgyzstan.
The Uighurs of Kyrgyzstan, Uighurs living in Eastern
Turkistan and all over the world enthusiastically
supported the independence of Kyrgyzstan in 1991. In
the first years after the independence, the government
of President Askar Akayev initiated some democratic
reforms in the country. In fact, some observers even
named Kyrgyzstan “the only democratic country in
Central Asia”. However, the situation with the
democratization in Kyrgyzstan has dramatically changed
over time. Democratic reforms have been slowed down or
even reversed.
In particular, in order to show its loyalty to China,
the Kyrgyz government does not always follow the
democratic principles in dealing with Uighurs. In
April of 1996, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
was established by the Chinese initiative “to fight
against terrorism, radicalism, and separatism”. One of
the main objectives of this organization is to
restrict the liberation movement of East Turkistan to
gain support of Central Asian countries. Immediately
after Kyrgyzstan joined the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization, the situation with human rights of
Uighurs in Kyrgyzstan started to deteriorate rapidly.
Although Kyrgyzstan has signed the U.N. Declaration on
Human Rights that forbids deportation of people who
face persecutions in the countries of their origin, in
the last six years, the Kyrgyz government extradited
ten Uighurs, who requested political asylum in
Kyrgyzstan, to China. The actual number of all
extradited Uighurs is still unknown to the public. It
was reported that some of these people were given
death sentences and executed and some were given
long-term prison sentences. Deportations of these
Uighurs were carried out in secrecy in order to avoid
international criticism. Moreover, to please China,
the Kyrgyz government arrested on false allegations
and executed or imprisoned for long terms several
Uighurs political refugees residing in Kyrgyzstan.
In May 2001, in four Uighur young activists — Askar
Tohti, Ahmet Gonen, Behremjan, and Ali Mahsum, were
accused in the involvement in bus bombing in the
region of Osh in 1999. Tohti, Gonen, and Behremjan
were sentenced to death, and Mahsum was imprisoned for
25 years. Observers reported that these people did not
receive fair trials.
In the city of Bishkek on December 31, 2002, three
Uighurs – Kayser Jalal, Ablimit, and Tohti Niyaz were
accused in “forming unlawful Eastern Turkistan
organization and illegal weapon possession” and
sentenced to 25, 16, and 17 years jail terms,
respectively. According to their defense attorneys,
such organization was never established in Kyrgyzstan,
and all “evidences” were fabricated.
Uighur entrepreneurs from East Turkistan who lawfully
engage in private business in Kyrgyzstan frequently
become targets of blackmailing and extortion from
corrupted police officers and the Kyrgyz “mafia”, the
local criminal groups. Despite the fact that the
economy of Kyrgyzstan benefits from activities of
Uighur business people, the Kyrgyz authorities turn
their backs on complaints received from Uighurs from
East Turkistan. In Bishkek on February 12, 2002,
Uighurs owned Turbaza trade center was set on fire.
Over 200 private shops with goods, money, documents,
and personal belongings of Uighur traders were
destroyed by fire. Kyrgyz firefighters arrived very
late and demanded money from shop owners for their “service”.
A mob started to maraud the remaining shops, and the
police joined the mob instead of protecting the order.
Some Uighur businessmen were beaten, and their money
was taken away.
This incident received wide coverage by the Kyrgyz
media. On February 23, TV channel KORT showed a
special program where about 10 people witnessed
illegal actions of the police. However, the Bishkek
police has not acknowledged any wrong doing from its
side and blamed Uighur business people for all what
happened. Two weeks after the fire, the head of the
Bishkek Police Department, Mr. Soranchiyev, stated
that “police officers never robbed Uighur shop owners,
and Uighurs are guilty themselves”. The total damage
of Uighur business people is estimated in millions of
U.S. dollars. The Kyrgyz authorities did not render
any help to Uighur victims, neither financial nor
moral, and this attitude of the government leaves
anyone surprised.
Not only Uighurs from Eastern Turkistan, but also
local Uighurs, citizens of Kyrgyzstan, face daily
discriminations and violations of their human rights.
The Kyrgyz government does not allow local Uighurs
advocate peacefully independence of East Turkistan
from China, thus, violating their freedom of speech.
In Bishkek on December 10, 1999, police obstructed
Uighur protesters who demonstrated in front of the
Chinese embassy and threatened to arrest Tursun Islam,
a human rights advocate, who organized and led the
demonstration. Nighmet Bosakov, the chairman of the
Uighur association Ittipaq, was shot and killed in
Bishkek in March of 2000. Local Uighur believe that
this murder was politically motivated.
There were incidents of brutality and ethnic hate by
Kyrgyz police towards Uighurs. In Bishkek on December
28, 2000, Kyrgyz police officers beat up several young
Uighur men in a local restaurant. Witnesses report
that the officers shouted at the Uighurs: “You,
Uighurs, are all terrorists. We will strife you. We
won’t let you breathe”. Then the young victims were
dragged into a police car and taken to a police
station. The Uighurs had been beaten again and
received serious body injuries: their skulls and bones
were broken. This incident left all Uighurs living in
Kyrgyzstan worried about their safety.
Growing anti-Uighur sentiments in Kyrgyzstan are
fueled by the Kyrgyz and Chinese governments. Local
Kyrgyz media also plays an important role in black
painting of Uighurs. For example, government
controlled newspapers “Dyelo”, “Vecherniy Bishkek”,
and “Slovo Kyrgyzstana” published several shallow
articles about “Uighur terrorists”, “Eastern Turkistan
terrorist organizations”, and “the Uighur problem”
where they basically labeled all Uighurs as terrorists
and criminals.
The overall situation with human rights of Uighurs in
Kyrgyzstan, both citizens and residents, is
deteriorating rapidly, and East Turkistan Information
Center and Bishkek Human Rights Organization want to
draw the attention and vigilance of international
human right
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