BISHKEK – A group of jailed Kyrgyz politicians and activists have urged the president of neighboring Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoev, to suspend the signing of a Kyrgyz-Uzbek border deal until the issue of the Kempir-Abad water reservoir is fully agreed upon in Kyrgyzstan.
More than 20 members of a group called Kempir-Abad's Defense Committee were arrested starting on October 23 on charges of planning riots over the government’s border demarcation deal with neighboring Uzbekistan.
The former Kyrgyz ambassador to Malaysia, Azimbek Beknazarov; former lawmaker Asia Sasykbaeva; well-known politicians Kanat Isaev, Jenis Moldokmatov, and Ravshan Jeenbekov; human rights defender Rita Karasartova; and other noted public figures and activists are among the jailed members of the committee.
Human rights groups in Bishkek made the text of their letter to Mirziyoev public on November 1.
"We understand that there are unsolved issues related to demarcation and delimitation of border between our countries that have been waiting for resolution for a long time.... But we would like to inform you that some documents related to the border agreement between our countries are being pushed forward with blatant violations of the constitutional norms, existing laws, as well as political foundations and democratic achievements of Kyrgyzstan," the letter says, urging Mirziyoev not to sign the agreement.
According to the agreement, Kyrgyzstan will hand over the territory of the Kempir-Abad water reservoir covering 4,485 hectares to Uzbekistan in exchange for over 19,000 hectares elsewhere.
The Kempir-Abad reservoir, which was built in 1983, 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.
The two Central Asian countries share a more than 1,300-kilometer-long border.
Many Kyrgyz civil activists, opposition politicians, and residents living close to the dam are against the deal.
They say Uzbekistan could continue using the dam's water, but the reservoir's land should remain within Kyrgyzstan's border.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his allies claim the deal benefits Kyrgyzstan and that Kyrgyz farmers will still have access to the water.