Parliament of Kyrgyzstan supported the dismissal of Ombudswoman Atyr Abdrakhmatova at its meeting on Wednesday.

At least 50 deputies voted for, 5 against.

Speaker Nurlanbek Shakiev said that Atyr Abdrakhmatova, despite invitation, did not come to the meeting.

Office of the Ombudsman denied the speaker’s words. According to them, no invitation was received.

It should be noted that Ata Zhurt Kyrgyzstan faction believes that Atyr Abdrakhmatova violated article 122 of the parliamentary regulations and did not timely submit a candidate for the post of her deputy to the Parliament for approval.

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch appealed to the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan. The statement says that the Parliament should not dismiss the country’s human rights Ombudswoman Atyr Abdrakhmatova before she completes her five-year term and should refrain from interfering with her work.

In her report on the situation with the protection of human rights in Kyrgyzstan, the Ombudsman noted that the existence of an alternative opinion and the possibility of its free expression is the basis of the right to freedom of speech. According to her, state bodies should first of all show political maturity and wisdom, refusing intolerance to alternative opinions.

Atyr Abdrakhmatova believes that it is important for the state to create conditions for the active and free work of journalists, to exclude the possibility of law enforcement agencies abusing their powers and putting pressure on the media.

Abdrakhmatova was elected Ombudswoman on March 2, 2022. She became the first woman to hold this post in Kyrgyzstan.

Source: 24.kg News Agency