Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Kyrgyz counterpart on human rights in Kyrgyzstan.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs raised his concerns regarding the conviction of several Kyrgyz journalists during a phone call with his Kyrgyz counterpart in October 2024.

Our Embassy in Bishkek closely monitors media freedom and civic space in Kyrgyzstan and raises issues of concern with the Kyrgyz Government. I raised human rights with my Kyrgyz counterparts in February and April 2025, and Lord Collins, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State also raised it in February 2025. The UK made a number of recommendations on human rights during Kyrgyzstan's Universal Periodic Review in the UN Human Rights Council in April.