Ombudsman A. Abdrakhmatova: “The public service requires changes in approaches to working with the public, it’s easy to say “no”, but the real duty of each of us is to do everything possible within the law to be “yes” and help the person to realize his ri

On October 18, 2022, an expert meeting was held at the Akyikatchy Institute of the Kyrgyz Republic on the creation of conditions for the realization of rights by citizens of Afghanistan who have been living in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic for more than 20 years. Several dozen families were forced to flee the war in the early 2000s and seek asylum in the Kyrgyz Republic. Despite their long stay on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, the issue of recognition them as refugees has not yet been resolved, and therefore they have:

- there are no relevant permits for staying in the country, - no right to work legally, - there are no conditions for the full enjoyment of rights and freedoms to ensure a decent life for themselves and their family members. During the meeting, the experts of the Ombudsman Institute presented the results of the research conducted to assess the needs and requirements, as well as respect for the rights of Afghan nationals - recognized by the UN system as "mandate refugees". The research covered a total of 129 people from 30 families. The results of the research of Akyikatchy Institute showed that the so-called "invisible" members of society lead a good life like most citizens of Kyrgyzstan, are fully integrated into the local community, their children are educated in schools and universities. However, an irregular situation puts them in a vulnerable position in the realization of their rights, for example when they need to seek assistance from law enforcement agencies, where the question of the legality of their stay immediately arises.

The Ombudsman A. Abdrakhmatova, appealed to all authorized representatives of State bodies do find any legal possibility for a final solution to the issue of documentation of foreign citizens forced to flee the war and seek a peaceful life in Kyrgyzstan. “The public service requires a change in approach of working with the population, it’s easy to say “no”, but the real duty of each of us to do everything possible within the law to be “yes” and help the person to realize his rights,” said Akyikatchy A. Abdrakhmatova.

Representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, representatives of authorized state bodies, non-governmental organizations took part in the expert meeting on observance of the rights and freedoms of «mandate refugees», Specializing in legal support for "mandate refugees".