BISHKEK -- A group of 27 Kyrgyz politicians, activists, and journalists, who were arrested last year for protesting against a border deal with Uzbekistan, have gone on trial on multiple charges, including plotting mass unrest.
The Birinchi Mai district court in Bishkek started the high-profile trial on June 22.
Kyrgyz authorities arrested 27 members of the so-called Kempir-Abad Defense Committee in late October after they protested against the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border demarcation deal that saw Kyrgyzstan in November hand over the territory of the Kempir-Abad reservoir, which covers 4,485 hectares, to Uzbekistan in exchange for over 19,000 hectares of land elsewhere.
Those arrested were charged with planning riots over the agreement, which was more than three decades in the making. Some of the arrested individuals protested against their arrest and launched hunger strikes while in pretrial detention.
If convicted, the defendants face more than 10 years in prison.
There have been several rallies in Bishkek demanding release of the Kempir-Abad Defense Committee members since their arrest in October.
Human rights organizations have also demanded the Kyrgyz government release the jailed men and women and drop all charges against them, saying they were imprisoned for expressing their thoughts and opinions.
In November, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoev, signed the disputed deal into law after lawmakers in both countries approved it.
The Kempir-Abad reservoir, known in Uzbekistan as the Andijon reservoir, was built in 1983. It is located in the fertile Ferghana Valley and represents a vital regional water source. Uzbekistan, whose population of 35 million is five times larger than that of Kyrgyzstan, uses most of the water from the area.
Many Kyrgyz civil activists, opposition politicians, and residents living close to the dam have been against the deal saying Uzbekistan should continue to be allowed to use the water, but the reservoir's land should remain within Kyrgyzstan.
Japarov and his allies claim the deal benefits Kyrgyzstan and that Kyrgyz farmers will still have access to the water reservoir.