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Kyrgyzstan: Civil Society

Asked by Anneliese DoddsLabour (Co-op)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 2 June 2025UIN 53148

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his counterparts in Kyrgyzstan on legislation aimed at controlling so-called foreign representatives.

Answered by Stephen Doughty

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has not made direct representations to his counterparts in Kyrgyzstan regarding the 'Law on Non-Commercial Organisations'.

Our Embassy in Bishkek has however raised concerns about the impact of this law with the relevant authorities. The UK also made recommendations about this law during Kyrgyzstan's Universal Period Review in the UN Human Rights Council in April. The UK regularly encourages Kyrgyzstan to continue to allow civil society organisations to operate with independence and without harassment. I underlined the importance of respect for rights and freedoms with my Kyrgyz counterparts in April 2025 and raised human rights more broadly with the Kyrgyz during the inaugural UK-Kyrgyz Strategic Dialogue in February 2025.

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