The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has determined the Government of Kyrgyzstan violated international human rights law by detaining activists Klara Sooronkulova, Rita Karasartova, Gulnara Dzhurabayeva, Asya Sasykbayeva, and Perizat Suranova.
Responding to a petition filed by Freedom Now and the law firm Proskauer Rose LLP, the decision found that Kyrgyzstan “effectively equates dissent and public criticism with incitement to violence—a stance that contradicts international human rights standards.” As a result, the Working Group concluded that the arrest of the five women was based on their exercise of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Klara, Rita, Gulnara, Asya, and Perizat have endured imprisonment, house arrest, and various restrictions on their freedom for simply disagreeing with their government,” said Freedom Now Legal Officer Adam Lhedmat. “We welcome the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s decision and call on Kyrgyzstan to immediately release Klara, Rita, Gulnara, Asya, and Perizat from house arrest, cease pursuing an appeal of their acquittal, end all politically motivated prosecutions against them, ensure they receive reparations for their wrongful detention, and fully restore their rights.”
On October 22, 2022, Klara Sooronkulova, Rita Karasartova, Gulnara Dzhurabayeva, Asya Sasykbayeva, and Perizat Suranova, along with other politicians, activists and citizens, formed the Committee for Protection of the Kempir-Abad Reservoir to discuss the border deal reached between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and the concerns of local citizens. At the time they joined the Committee, all five of the women were active members of civil society.
- Sooronkulova is chairwoman of the NGO “School of Law” and a chairwoman of the Committee to Protect Political Prisoners. She is also a former Constitutional Court judge and a Reforma Party Leader.
- Karasartova works at the Institute of Civic Analysis, a human rights organization and think-tank that monitors the rotation process within the Kyrgyz judiciary system.
- Dzhurabayeva is a human rights defender for women who has been collaborating with Interbilim, an organization promoting democracy, since 2020. She is also a former Central Elections Commission (CEC) member.
- Sasykbayeva is the founder and former head of Interbilim. She is also an ex-deputy of Parliament.
- Suranova is a member of the Women’s Democratic Network of Kyrgyzstan.
The day after the Committee was formed, law enforcement officials arrested 27 Committee members, including the five women. The government subsequently announced the arrested individuals were involved in “preparing for mass riots, followed by an illegal seizure of power.”
The five women spent approximately five months imprisoned as part of their pretrial detention. Between March and June 2023 they were transferred from prison to house arrest. On June 22, 2023, the trial against the women and 22 other members of the Committee began. The prosecutors initially requested a 20 year sentence for the defendants.
The five women were acquitted on June 14, 2024. However, they remain on house arrest pending an appeal. The terms of the house arrest are monitored for compliance through consistent surveillance by the state security services, who are frequently present outside of the women’s homes.
In July 2025, Karasartova was once again charged with organizing mass riots and calling for the violent seizure of power for publishing a letter from exiled dissident Tilekmat Kurenov on her Facebook page. In September 2025 she was sentenced to five years’ probation.
Kyrgyzstan, once hailed as a democratic bastion in Central Asia, has become increasingly authoritarian since Sadyr Japarov ascended to the presidency after nationwide protests in October 2020. In the past several years the country has adopted a draconian media law that effectively places all media under government control, abolished the independent torture monitoring mechanism, and initiated several politically motivated trials against independent journalists.