Investigations / Kyrgyzstan
For a decade, authorities of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, have been elaborating plans to solve the city landfill problem, which is called an environmental catastrophe by ecologists.
Back in 2013, the EBRD and the European Union allocated 22 million Euro for the construction of a modern landfill, waste sorting facility, and for the improvement of the situation. Over a decade later, the only tangible results have been new garbage bins and cleaning equipment, while millions of Kyrgyz som have been spent on loan repayments and penalties.
When visiting Kara-Keche, a field where coal is mined, one can observe that the water flowing from the glaciers is no longer transparent but black, and the pine trees are gradually drying up. Despite numerous attempts by local residents to draw attention to this issue, they have yet to achieve any results.
In Kyrgyzstan, based on the reports of state bodies, new trees are widely planted across the country, while the area of forests is increasing steadily. However, thousands of dead plantlets and wasted millions of dollars are hidden behind fine words and figures.
In Bishkek, contrary to the master plan, a tree belt area in southern residential areas of the city has been actually destroyed in the last few years. However, it has played a significant role in the urban ecology. Now, the area is built with high-rise residential buildings. According to officials, the law does not specify any punishment for the violation of the master plan, while independent experts say that drastic measures need to be employed.
In recent years, gun-related crimes trend upward. (more…)
Formally, law-enforcement and security officers may be imprisoned for torture during detention and custody of a citizen. In practice, the victims can hardly reach it as it is almost impossible. (more…)
Some human rights defenders and lawyers state about high level of corruption in the amnesty and pardon procedure. (more…)
The city programme for modernisation of municipal lifts in multi-storeyed houses of Bishkek is being implemented with gross breaches of law and technical standards. (more…)
There are many foundations and charity organizations in the republic linked to religion. (more…)
In Kyrgyzstan, despite many years of struggle, there are still some cases, when children do not attend school because of the religious beliefs of their parents. (more…)