BISHKEK -- The relatives of 26 Kyrgyz politicians and activists arrested in late October for protesting against a border deal with Uzbekistan have demanded their immediate release, saying they want to meet with President Sadyr Japarov.
Dozens of men and women rallied in Bishkek's Panfilov Park on December 20, holding portraits of their loved ones and demanding their transfer to house arrest.
Jailed human rights defender Rita Karasartova's daughter, Kasiet Mamyrbai, told RFE/RL that representatives of the presidential administration met with the demonstrators and accepted their written demands.
"They stressed, though, that they cannot interfere into court proceedings, saying that everything must go in accordance with the law," Mamyrbai said.
Kyrgyz authorities arrested 26 members of the so-called Kempir-Abad Defense Committee in late October after they protested against the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border demarcation deal, according to which, in November, Kyrgyzstan handed over the territory of the Kempir-Abad water reservoir covering 4,485 hectares to Uzbekistan in exchange for over 19,000 hectares elsewhere.
Those arrested were charged with planning riots over the border agreement, which was more than three decades in the making.
Seventeen of those arrested have been on a hunger strike for a week. Human rights defenders have said that the health of some of the hunger strikers has dramatically deteriorated.
Last month, the presidents of the two Central Asian nations 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 that 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 reservoir.