The crackdown on government critics continues in Kyrgyzstan. This crackdown is not limited to the territory of the country but extends beyond its borders. In several recent cases, government critics based abroad have faced the threat of extradition to Kyrgyzstan, where they risk politically motivated arrest, imprisonment, and torture in retaliation for their criticism.
Activist Tilekmat Kudaibergen uulu is the latest Kyrgyz dissident to face pressure from authorities while abroad. He has lived in exile in the United States for several years, but travelled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November 2024, to meet with fellow activists from Kyrgyzstan. A week after his arrival, on November 18, police in Dubai detained him and informed him that Kyrgyzstan had filed an extradition request for him. He was released after 24 hours, but remained under investigation. On January 3, 2025, he was again detained by police in Dubai, and held for nearly half a day, after the Kyrgyz government submitted another extradition request for him – this time on bogus fraud charges. The authorities in the UAE are now considering this new extradition request.
Kudaibergen uulu’s problems with the Kyrgyz leadership began in 2021, when he vocally opposed controversial constitutional changes initiated by President Sadyr Japarov, which introduced sweeping presidential powers in the country. Kudaibergen uulu was one of the organizers of a peaceful rally held in Bishkek in March 2021 to protest against the constitutional amendments. Shortly after this, he was arrested on trumped-up charges of “attempting to seize power and organizing mass unrest.” He was later was found guilty and sentenced to one and a half years’ imprisonment. While in prison, Kudaibergen uulu reported being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. After his release in 2022, he went to the United States with his family. His asylum procedure there is ongoing.
Kudaibergen uulu has continued his civic activities in exile and has remained under the scrutiny of Kyrgyzstani authorities. In 2024 he and businessman Imamidin Tashov were accused of plotting a coup in Kyrgyzstan, and he was declared wanted.
Kudaibergen uulu has been stranded in Dubai since November last year after his passport went missing under suspicious circumstances and the Kyrgyzstani authorities requested his extradition. Without his passport, he is unable to return to the United States or go anywhere else, and he is at high risk of being extradited to Kyrgyzstan.
If Kudaibergen uulu is extradited, he will not be the first regime critic to be forcibly sent home. A year ago, Kanykei Aranova – another government critic – was extradited from Russia to Kyrgyzstan along with her 11-year-old daughter.
Aranova was taken to court for posting about the so-called Kempir-Abad case on social media. Aranova said that a fake Facebook account had been created in her name, in order to frame her for the content. Despite this, she was found guilty and received a three-and-a-half year prison sentence. As she has a minor child, she asked the court for a deferral, but this request was denied.
The Kempir-Abad case emerged in 2022, when Kyrgyzstan traded land with Uzbekistan in a controversial border deal, sparking public opposition. In response, the Kyrgyzstani authorities took a hardline approach , detaining 27 outspoken critics on charges of “mass unrest” for peacefully expressing their views. While 22 defendants were acquitted last summer, their cases are currently being reviewed in appeal proceedings. The cases against the other defendants are being heard separately.
These developments are unfolding amid growing persecution of civil society activists and other critics of the authorities in Kyrgyzstan. Among those targeted are Kudaibergen uulu’s supporters. Dozens of individuals believed to be linked to Kudaibergen uulu have been arrested and questioned since last year.
In a joint letter, Freedom for Eurasia, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Freedom Now, and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee urged the UAE government to uphold its international human rights obligations and prevent the forced return of Tilekmat Kudaibergen uulu to Kyrgyzstan. They emphasized that his extradition would violate the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits states from returning individuals to countries where they face a risk of torture or other serious human rights violations.
Kudaibergen uulu should be allowed to return to the United States and reunite with his family. The Kyrgyzstani authorities should promptly withdraw their extradition request and provide Kudaibergen uulu with travel documents so he can travel back to the United States.