EU regrets calls by Kyrgyz Parliament to introduce stricter control over NGOs

Representatives of the European Union and the Kyrgyz Republic met on May 27, 2019 in Brussels to discuss human rights issues and cooperation in related areas during their annual Human Rights Dialogue. Delegation of European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic reported.
The EU encouraged strengthening of the role of the national human rights institutions, the Ombudsman and the National Centre for Torture Prevention and welcomed the introduction of new measures to prevent torture and ill treatment.
Representatives of the EU drew attention to persisting impunity and low number of thorough investigations, lack of capacity of independent medical examinations and inhuman conditions in detention facilities.
The EU welcomed positive developments in the freedom of expression and freedom of the media and discussed structural problems of the media sector.
With respect to the freedom of association, the EU highlighted the positive role of civil society and regretted recent calls by members of the Parliament to introduce stricter control over the funding of NGOs.
The EU appreciated the high standard of the legal framework in force for protection of the rights of women and children, and encouraged to step up efforts to drive the cultural change and make domestic violence and forced marriage socially unacceptable.
The EU has mainstreamed gender equality and empowerment of women in all development cooperation programmes. Under-representation of women and members of ethnic minorities in political and economic life was also noted. In a positive development, the EU praised ratification by the Kyrgyz Republic of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.