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