birduino - 26 June – United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture Torture Must Not Go Unpunished: Time for Meaningful Action

26 June – United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture Torture Must Not Go Unpunished: Time for Meaningful Action

Июн 26.2026

Every year on 26 June, the international community[1] expresses solidarity with victims of torture and reminds States of their obligation to prevent torture, promptly investigate every allegation, and ensure effective protection and redress for victims.

Torture is never an isolated incident or the result of individual misconduct. It occurs where effective oversight is absent, investigations are neither independent nor impartial, accountability is lacking, and preventive safeguards fail to function.

Kyrgyzstan's election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council reflects the confidence placed in the country by the international community. At the same time, it entails a heightened responsibility to uphold international human rights obligations at home.

Following the suspension of the National Preventive Mechanism, independent monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty has significantly weakened. Mechanisms for identifying torture are being lost, cases increasingly remain hidden, and systemic impunity continues to foster new violations. At the same time, there is a growing pattern of pressure against civic activists, human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists, while reports of unlawful detention continue to go without effective investigation.

According to the National Centre for the Prevention of Torture of the Kyrgyz Republic (2022), one in five detainees held in temporary detention facilities and pre-trial detention centres reported having been subjected to torture or ill-treatment. In 81.6% of these cases, the purpose was to obtain a confession. In 2024, out of 151 allegations of torture, criminal proceedings were refused in 143 cases. This alarming trend has continued throughout 2025–2026.

The deterioration of torture prevention mechanisms is also reflected in independent assessments. According to the latest measurement, the Prohibition of Torture Index in Kyrgyzstan declined by 11.29 points, indicating a significant deterioration in judicial practice and the implementation of procedural safeguards. Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan[2] participates in the annual assessment of the Index within the framework of the Working Group on Combating Torture of the Civic Solidarity Platform. In 2025, Kyrgyzstan was also included in the Global Torture Index, launched by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

Since 2018, Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan has been systematically working to prevent torture. The organisation's lawyers and independent experts provide legal assistance to victims, document cases of torture and ill-treatment, litigate strategic cases, submit complaints to international human rights mechanisms, monitor Kyrgyzstan's compliance with its international obligations, and advocate for reforms aimed at eradicating torture and ending impunity.

Lawyers of Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan continue to provide legal assistance to victims of torture. The following are only a few of the cases currently being supported by the organisation[3].

Abdulnosir Abdurakhmanov, 23 April 2026 – Nookat District

Mr. Abdurakhmanov intervened when police officers were violently detaining his minor son. In response, one police officer forced him into a police vehicle, beat him, and confiscated his identification documents and mobile phone. Mr. Abdurakhmanov managed to escape by jumping out of the moving vehicle. A complaint has been filed, and a forensic medical examination has been ordered.

Yusubjon Badalov, April 2025 – Kara-Suu District

Following his extradition from Türkiye, Mr. Badalov was reportedly subjected to severe beatings both in Türkiye and after his arrival in Kyrgyzstan. He continues to suffer from serious psychological trauma. He was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment in connection with the 2010 events. A complaint concerning torture is currently being prepared.

Iliyaz Dyushembiev, 5 October 2024 – Sokuluk District

While detained on suspicion of drug possession, Mr. Dyushembiev was allegedly subjected to severe beatings and threatened with sexual violence involving a sex toy while in police custody. The allegations are supported by forensic medical evidence, witness statements and other documentation. The Military Prosecutor's Office refused to initiate criminal proceedings. These decisions have been appealed up to the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, where no final decision has yet been delivered.

Although the circumstances differ, all of these cases reveal the same systemic pattern: ineffective investigations, procedural delays, loss of evidence, pressure on victims, superficial preliminary inquiries, and the absence of an independent mechanism for investigating allegations of torture.

On the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan calls on the authorities of the Kyrgyz Republic to:

1. Ensure prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations into every allegation of torture, in line with Kyrgyzstan's international obligations and the Istanbul Protocol.

2. Restore and strengthen an independent National Preventive Mechanism.

3. Establish an independent body responsible for investigating allegations of torture.

4. Guarantee the genuine independence of the judiciary and end the unjustified classification of cases involving allegations of torture.

5. Fully implement the Views and recommendations of the UN Human Rights Committee.

6. Establish a permanent consultative platform under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the participation of civil society organisations to discuss the implementation of Kyrgyzstan's international human rights obligations.

Torture has no statute of limitations. Impunity undermines public trust in state institutions, weakens the rule of law, and threatens the security of every individual. Preventing torture is a legal obligation of the State and an essential prerequisite for democratic development.

Public Association "Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan"
Statement on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
26 June 2026

???? +996 772 163 229
✉️ birduinokyrgyzstan@gmail.com

www.birduino.kg

[1] https://www.un.org/en/observances/torture-victims-day

[2] https://birduino.kg/en/press/the-civic-solidarity-platform’s-working-group-on-the-fight-against-torture-presents-its-sixth-annual-index-on-torture

[3] https://birduino.kg/en/assets/news/2026/june/HRMI_Kyrgystan_2026_Press_Release.pdf

Feedback from our focus groups

SHAKHBOZ LATIPOV

Experience should be attached to a law degree

Shakhboz Latipov, 24 y.o., young lawyer: “When I came to BDK for an internship, I had no experience in legal and human rights activities. Together with experienced senior colleagues, I began to attend trials, studied documents. Gradually my supervisor Khusanbai Saliev began to trust me the preparation of documents, carefully checked them and gave practical advice. Experience comes with time and cases you work on. Every day dozens of people who need help come to us, many of them are from socially vulnerable groups: the poor, large families, elderly citizens. A lawyer in a human rights organization sometimes acts as a psychologist, it is important for him to be able to maintain professionalism and show empathy. At the end of 2019, I successfully passed the exam to get the right to start working as attorney and now I work on cases as an attorney. I turn to my colleagues for help on complex issues, they always give me their advice. This is one of the strengths of the organization: there is support and understanding here.”

FERUZA AMADALIEVA

Organization unites regions

Feruza Amadalieva, social worker, leader, teacher: “TOT from BDK is a great opportunity to get acquainted with participants from different regions, we continue to communicate on social media and when we meet at events, as close friends, we have such warm relations! At the events, I improved my knowledge, systematized it, clarified how to apply it in practice. I really like the training modules and the way the system of training and practice is built: role-playing games, theory, discussions. Each person expresses himself/herself. I have become a leader for other vulnerable women, I try to help them and engage them in such events.” Feruza Amadalieva is a regular participant of many BDK events, she invites the BDK lawyers to provide legal advice to vulnerable women.

NURIZA TALANTBEK KYZY

I became confident

In summer of 2019, Nuriza Talantbek kyzy took an active part in conducting regional screenings of documentaries, helped with organizational issues during the campaign dedicated to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, participated in trips, and did the TOT on women's leadership. She used to be a migrant, worked for an NGO in Osh, and now works in Bishkek in the service industry. She calls her participation in the TOT “an invaluable experience”: “I first attended such an event, and received exactly the information that I needed, for which I am sincerely grateful to the facilitators. I experienced very difficult issues in my life, and thanks to that knowledge, I was able to overcome them, I persevered! After the TOT, I became more confident, began to better understand the essence of human rights, and learned to defend my interests.”

SHUKURULLO KOCHKAROV

The defendant has passed away. The work on his rehabilitation continues.

The case of Shukurullo Kochkarov shows that work on complex cases continues for many years. After the torture he was subjected to in 2010, he became disabled. We managed to get acquittal on one of the charges; the work is ongoing on achieving his rehabilitation and recognition as a victim of torture in order for compensation to be paid. Trials continue without Shukurullo Kochkarov - he died on 2 August 2019. His interests are represented by his father, Saidaziz Kochkarov, who also has a visual disability. “For many years, we have been supported by the employees of BDK, they have been handling the case of my son, they brought him to court because he couldn’t walk on his own, they constantly help our family: my wife and I underwent rehabilitation, they have helped my son by providing him with medicines, they provide all kinds of help”.

DILYOR JUMABAEV

Comprehensive support for victims of torture

Resident of the Kara-Suu district, Dilyor Jumabaev, has extensive experience in dealing with law enforcement agencies. In 2010, he was accused of possessing firearms, and thanks to the work of lawyers, he was acquitted. Two years later, his house was first searched in order to find materials of an extremist nature, but nothing was found. In 2014, he was accused of possessing extremist materials. In court, the prosecutor requested 15 years in prison; the court sentenced him to 6 years. A few years later he was released on parole. “I am grateful to the lawyers of BDK for their expert legal assistance. I participated in a rehabilitation program for victims of torture. When I encounter violations, I recommend contacting this organization.”

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