Tilekmat Kudaibergen uulu

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

Kudaibergen uulu came to prominence in early 2020 for his criticism of government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, high-level corruption, and environmental policies. In 2021, he was arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison for organizing a peaceful protest to oppose President Japarov’s proposed constitutional changes to expand the power of the presidency.

After his release, Kudaibergen uulu continued his environmental advocacy by joining a group of civil society activists who opposed a government plan to transfer territorial rights over the Kempir-Abad Reservoir to Uzbekistan. In October 2022, the government initiated a crackdown on the group of activists and arrested most of its members.

Kudaibergen uulu was in Kazakhstan meeting with other activists when the arrests occurred. Fearing for his safety, he fled with his family to Moscow and eventually the U.S. where he filed for political asylum. While living in the U.S., Kudaibergen uulu continued to post online critiques of President Japarov’s regime, mainly regarding environmental policies. On January 10, 2024, Kyrgyz authorities issued a warrant for Kudaibergen uulu’s arrest, alleging that he had been involved in a possible coup.

On November 12, 2024, Kudaibergen uulu traveled to Dubai to meet Emil Jamgyrchiyev, a former member of Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament, who claimed to be organizing a meeting of like-minded opposition members. Jamgyrchiyev abruptly left the United Arab Emirates shortly after meeting alone with Kudaibergen uulu, claiming other opposition members would soon arrive. After Jamgyrchiyev’s departure, Kudaibergen uulu discovered that his passport was missing. When he reported this to the police, they raided his hotel room and detained him, informing him that an extradition request had been made by the government of Kyrgyzstan. After 20 hours, Kudaibergen uulu was released, however he was unable to leave Dubai without a passport. He spent nearly five months stranded in the United Arab Emirates until he was detained on April 10, 2025 and forcibly transferred to Kyrgyzstan the following week, despite the lack of an official extradition process.

On April 19, 2025, Kyrgyzstan’s state media reported that Kudaibergen uulu was detained and charged with public calls for violent seizures of power, an offense that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. He was subsequently charged with inciting mass riots and incitement of racial, ethnic, national, religious, or interregional hatred. In February 2026, after 10 months of pre-trial detention, the criminal trial against him finally began.