I was arrested and taken to a detention centre (Picture: Private)
Organising public meetings, inviting independent journalists along and lobbying parliamentarians.
For these simple acts in October 2022, I – along with 26 fellow activists – face up to 15 years in prison.
On that day, we met to peacefully oppose a new border agreement that risked Uzbekistan taking control of a freshwater reservoir in my country, Kyrgyzstan.
Due to long-contested resources along the border, we feared this neighbouring country would restrict or ban access to water – a scarce commodity in Central Asia – so we spoke out.
And now we’re being punished for it.
Sandwiched between China to the east and Uzbekistan to the west, my country of less than 7million people is rarely in the international spotlight. This suits our authoritarian government just fine, who continue to crackdown on our human rights.
Peaceful protestors face severe restrictions, journalists and activists who courageously challenge the authorities face attacks and baseless prosecutions. Even criticising the government on social media can land you in jail.
Our calls for transparency and proper scrutiny of the border deal resulted in me and my fellow activists being charged with attempting to ‘violently overthrow the government’. These ludicrous and baseless charges have turned my life upside down.
Peaceful protestors face severe restrictions (Credits: Private)
It was on the Sunday morning last October when the police stormed my home. They had no warrant to seize my computer or phone, but this did not stop them.
I was arrested and taken to a detention centre in Bishkek, our capital city in the north. It was there that I learnt my fellow activists had all been arrested too. The conditions in the detention were filthy but I thought I would be out within 48 hours.
I never imagined I would be in that cramped cell for eight long months. 10 women together in a cell of just 27 square metres (around the same size as two parking spaces).
This cold room had five iron bunk beds, a table for cooking and a toilet in one corner without doors, merely covered with fabric. There was only enough space for two of us to stand freely at one time.
We were allowed out for up to a solitary hour each day to exercise in a tiny courtyard.
The conditions were so bad that, last December, we went on hunger strike in protest of our detention being extended. For 14 days, I only had water. When I tried to get out of bed, I could barely take two steps. I was pouring sweat, short of breath and thought I was having a heart attack.
On top of that, I received no medical care in detention for my existing serious health problems with my thyroid gland, which got worse as a result.
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The hardest part of detention was not being able to see or speak to my family for so long. According to Amnesty, detainees in Kyrgyzstan are supposed to be allowed to call loved ones for 15 minutes once a week, but this never happened.
Thankfully, my friends lobbied everyone with influence who could help grant my release, so I was placed under house arrest in May this year. It is down to the determination of fellow activists that I am out of prison.
It was so great to be reunited with my family after so long. My detention took an emotional toll on my children too.
The authorities continue to threaten me with being sent back to prison when I speak out for human rights. While I remain under a strict curfew today, I refuse to be silenced by the authorities’ intimidation.
Eleven of my friends are still in detention as we await our full trial. We do not know when that might be as the authorities classed our case as secret.
I take strength that people in the UK are taking action (Credits: @Private)
They have tried every trick in the book to deny our right to a fair trial. We have been rejected access to key documents on our case as they are ‘classified’ and were prevented from attending court hearings during pre-trial detention. In a just world, if we were to have a fair trial, the case against us would be thrown out immediately.
Yet the reality in Kyrgyzstan today is that most people do not get a fair trial. For the past 10 years, as a human rights activist, I provided legal advice to those whose rights had been violated in our corrupt and unreliable legal system.
Now I am the one experiencing the same abuse of power.
I know I am not alone. I take strength that people in the UK are taking action, as part of Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign, to demand that I am released from house arrest and all charges are dropped.
While Kyrgyzstan may not make international headlines often, through Write for Rights the authorities will know people around the world are demanding justice.
I expect to be found guilty, as the process is a sham. Yet, I refuse to be cowed by my government, who are acting like bullies.
I will continue to speak up for democracy and human rights. All we are asking is that people in Kyrgyzstan are able to enjoy their human rights and for our children to have a brighter future.
Rita Karasartova is a human rights defender and an expert in civic governance in Kyrgyzstan.
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There was only enough space for two of us to stand freely at one time.
