Russian human rights defender Vitaly Ponomaryov has been deported to Russia from Kyrgyzstan after he was detained upon his arrival at the airport in Bishkek, rights activist Tolekan Ismailova told RFE/RL on November 15. Border Service officials told RFE/RL that the director of the Memorial Human Rights Center's Central Asian program was deported due to a 2017 decision by the Kyrgyz government to bar him from entering the country. They did not specify why Ponomaryov was barred from entering Kyrgyzstan. To read the original story from RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Russian Memorial's Central Asia Chief Deported From Kyrgyzstan
Vitaly Ponomaryov, the director of the Memorial Human Rights Center's Central Asian program (file photo)