Tilekmat Kudaibergen

Tilekmat Kudaibergen is a political activist who is currently in pre-trial detention in Kyrgyzstan as a result of his peaceful activism.

Prior to his arrest, Kudaibergen rose to prominence in 2020 for his criticism of the Kygyzstani government’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its conduct during the 2020 parliamentary elections. In 2022, he joined the “Committee for the Protection of the Kempir-Abad Reservoir,” a civil society group opposing a controversial border deal between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. As authorities began arresting Committee members, Kudaibergen fled the country and sought asylum in the United States. His and his family’s asylum applications remain pending.

In November 2024, Kudaibergen traveled to the United Arab Emirates to meet a former Kyrgyz parliamentarian who claimed to be organizing a gathering of opposition activists. He made the decision to leave the U.S. mistakenly believing that it would not impact on his asylum claim. Upon arrival in the U.A.E., Mr. Kudaibergen discovered there was no such meeting, and his passport disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Shortly thereafter, the Kyrgyz government filed an extradition request, accusing him of plotting a violent seizure of power. While the government has not disclosed the factual basis for the request, it appears to stem from Kudaibergen’s involvement in the Kempir-Abad Committee.

In April 2025, U.A.E. authorities forcibly returned Kudaibergen to Kyrgyzstan without due legal process. He is currently detained in pre-trial detention under Article 327 of the Kyrgyz Criminal Code, which prohibits public calls for the violent seizure of power. Notably, the charges now being investigated differ from those cited in the extradition request and appear to be based on a letter Kudaibergen wrote while in Dubai. He entrusted the letter to fellow activist and Freedom Now client Rita Karasartova, instructing her to publish it in the event of his disappearance. Although the letter does not contain any incitement to violence, Karasartova was also arrested. Kudaibergen remains in detention pending the conclusion of the investigation and his eventual trial.