Legal Protection for Opposition
Thursday, 12 October, 2006
Legal Protection for Opposition
Thursday, 12 October, 2006
On October 10, a debate was held on a draft law that would provide legal safeguards for opposition activity. The legislation was drafted by the government, which was instructed to do so in a decree which President Kurmanbek Bakiev signed in May, outlining plans for greater democracy. A drafting group consisting of legal experts and members of the public has been working on the document since June.
The bill’s architects say that if passed, it will make Kyrgyzstan the first country not only in Central Asia, but in the whole of the Commonwealth of Independent States, to have passed a law granting legal recognition to the political opposition.
Azimbek Beknazarov, a member of parliament and leader of the opposition Asaba party, believes it is wrong to set parameters within which the opposition is allowed to operate. The Kyrgyz constitution lays down the rights to freedom of speech and assembly, and Beknazarov says these provide adequate legal guarantees for the opposition to be able to operate.
More moderate opposition parties such as Moya Strana and Arnamys take a more upbeat view of the proposed legislation, which they say will not only provide the opposition with safeguards, but will also define its obligations – thus regulating its relationship with the government.
Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev, one of Moya Strana’s leaders, told NBCentralAsia that if the government has a legal obligation to ensure that opposition members’ rights are observed and that they are free to work, politically-motivated persecution will become rarer.
NBCentralAsia’s political commentators predict that the law could lead to greater stability in Kyrgyzstan, and that it is vital if future confrontations are to be avoided.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
