The defense of Tolekan Ismailova, head of the human rights organization Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan, said they had exhausted all domestic legal remedies in Kyrgyzstan and would begin preparing a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee. The decision followed the Bishkek City Court’s ruling on September 21, 2026, upholding a decision by the Pervomaisky District Court.
Violations during detention and questioning
According to the defense, on March 13, 2026, officers of the Main Internal Affairs Department of Bishkek forcibly brought Ismailova to the department without a summons, prior notification or a reasoned order.
At the police department, questioning lasted more than six hours without a break, exceeding the four-hour limit established by law. Furthermore, the investigator failed to provide the order mandating a forensic linguistic analysis.
Complaints to the prosecutor’s office
On March 31, 2026, the human rights defender filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General’s Office, calling for a legal assessment of the police actions. However, on April 14, the complaint was forwarded to the Interior Ministry’s Internal Investigations Service.
In a June 3 report, the service acknowledged that it could not conduct an investigation because it lacked the authority to interfere in investigators’ activities. On July 6, the Bishkek Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the complaint had not been examined on its merits.
Since the City Court’s ruling cannot be appealed further, the domestic legal remedies are considered exhausted.
- An application to the UN Human Rights Committee is an international mechanism for protecting civil and political rights available after all levels of the country’s domestic judicial system have been exhausted.
