EMBASSY BISHKEK'S NOMINATION FOR THE 2008 SECRETARY'S AWARD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001298 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR G/WI STATE ALSO FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: NA TAGS: KWMN PHUM PREL KG SUBJECT: EMBASSY BISHKEK'S NOMINATION FOR THE 2008 SECRETARY'S AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE REF: STATE 126072 ¶1. (SBU) Post is pleased to submit its nomination for the 2008 Secretary's Woman of Courage Award. We nominate Ms. Cholpon Idinovna SIPDIS Djakupova, a well known fearless human rights activist and outspoken defender of the rights of refugees. Ms. Djakupova heads the NGO legal clinic 'Adilet' which is a project sponsored by UNHCR, UNDP, OSCE, DRC, and ODIHR. ¶2. (SBU) Ms. Djakupova is one of the leading advocates for refugee and detainee's rights in Kyrgyzstan, and her public and persistent advocacy often brings her into direct confrontation with senior government officials. One of Ms. Djakupova's many accomplishments was her defense of the human rights of the more than 450 Uzbek refugees who fled to Kyrgyzstan after the events in Andijan in May ¶2005. Ms. Djakupova and her 'Adilet' Clinic helped the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other international organizations in negotiating with the Kyrgyz government the relocation of about 450 refugees to third countries. Ms. Djakupova's legal clinic volunteered to help the least fortunate of the refugees, who otherwise would not have been able to afford legal assistance. Ms. Djakupova also courageously appealed the July 2005 decision of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs Migration Service Department to deny refugee status for four of the Uzbeks; UNHCR had already deemed them eligible for refugee status. The Adilet legal clinic pursued this case to the Kyrgyz Court of Appeals and eventually sent a complaint to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva to stop the deportation of the refugees. Although the Kyrgyz government eventually deported the four refugees back to Uzbekistan, ignoring requests by the United Nations and the international community, Ms. Djakupova's strong advocacy on behalf of the four helped protect the remaining 450 refugees who, with Adilet's help, found resettlement in third countries. Ms. Djakupova was a brave and dedicated activist who stood up for the ideals of human rights and fought for the rights of the less fortunate against bureaucratic systems and inflexible governments. This is especially noteworthy in a country like the Kyrgyz Republic, where Ms. Djakupova's courageous and principled stance has brought her into conflict with government officials, resulting in personal hardships. ¶3. (SBU) Ms. Djakupova protects the rights not only of refugees but also regularly volunteers to protect the rights of illegally detained Kyrgyz citizens. She continues to insist that the government must always follow the rule of law, and that it should only detain its citizens with lawful cause and in a lawful manner. This is often not the case, where law enforcement officials are known to abuse detainees in order to force confessions. Ms. Djakupova demanded that the government to release 37 individuals arrested during the April 2007 anti-government protest rallies. Ms. Djakupova made the case that the government could detain its people only if there was probable cause or court issued warrants. Because of the public pressure brought to bear by Ms. Djakupova and other human rights activists, most of those arrested were released. These episodes demonstrated that through the personal bravery, dedication and hard work of Ms. Djakupova, one woman can make a huge difference in the protection of human rights of her fellow citizens. ¶4. (SBU) Ms. Djakupova began her work on human rights in 1995 when she was appointed as the head of the Department on Migration at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. Ms. Djakupova opened her clinic 'Adilet' in May, 2002 to protect the legal interests of vulnerable people by performing legal, educational, informational, and lawmaking activities. 'Adilet' is the only legal clinic in all of Central Asia that provides such a diverse range of services for its clients who include sexual workers, refugees, and asylum seekers. Since its inception, 'Adilet' has provided more than 10,000 legal consultations and has represented its clients more then 500 times before the courts, law enforcement bodies and other government agencies. 'Adilet' and Ms. Djakupova personally are also closely involved in lawmaking where she is very often the leading expert in writing amendments in the refugee and citizenship laws of the Kyrgyz Republic. She also has participated in various meetings of working groups on making secondary laws on other issues such as HIV laws and the Children's Code. 'Adilet' has established constructive relations with the lead law enforcement agencies in Kyrgyzstan such as the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Interior, the Supreme Court, the Border service, and the State Committee for Migration and Employment. She has also provided educational materials and manuals to government training institutions. Through her efforts, law enforcement and migration officials, judges and prosecutors, border guards and students have received comprehensive training on various aspects of protection of human rights. ¶4. (SBU) contact information for Ms. Cholpon Djakupova: --- Title and organization: Director, Legal clinic 'Adilet' BISHKEK 00001298 002 OF 002 --- DOB: March 25, 1959 --- Place of birth: Kyrgyzstan --- Citizenship: Kyrgyzstan --- Passport #: AC 029985 --- Address: 39 Umetalieva St., Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 720010 --- Contact phone: (996)(312) 65-15-55 (work),(996)(312) 58-28-98 (cell) --- E-mail: legal@elcat.kg ¶5. (U) Post's POC is Jasmine Cameron, Legal Assistant, Office of the Resident Legal Adviser --- Telephone number: (996)(312)55-12-41, ext. 4496 --- Fax: (996)(312)55-12-64 --- E-mail: cameronjd@state.gov YOVANOVITCH