FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2025
This weekend, our Partner in Kyrgyzstan, Bir Duino, hosted their annual International Human Rights Film Festival, drawing participants and attendees from across the globe. Three delegates from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) who were scheduled to participate in the festival were inexplicably denied entry into the country and deported to their home countries before the festival began. The border officials provided no explanation for their denial, effectively blocking any possibility to appeal the decision.
As a Partnership, we call on the Kyrgyz authorities to:
- Provide Justification
Immediately provide a legal justification for the denial of entry and the deportation of FIDH’s delegation. - End Repression Against Human Rights Defenders
Cease repressive measures that restrict civil society organizations and human rights defenders. - Comply with International Obligations
Hold Kyrgyzstan accountable to its obligations under international law, including the ICCPR.
Now in its 19th year, Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan's International Human Rights Film Festival has grown in scope as it fuses activism with art and film, underscoring the urgent need to support human rights and civil society and strengthening hope for a brighter future. The festival includes documentary films, seminars, and master classes with experts in human rights advocacy, civil society development, and the protection of freedoms.
The denial of the FIDH delegation serves as a stark reminder of the growing backlash against human rights and the shrinking civic space in Kyrgyzstan and across the world. WLP stands with Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan and FIDH and calls on the Kyrgyz government to cease all repressive measures that restrict the work of civil society organizations and human rights defenders.
Please view Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan's statement here and FIDH's statement here.
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Please direct any queries to:
Shannon Kuehn, Senior Program Associate for Advocacy and Communications
Phone: +1 301-654-2774
Email: skuehn[at]learningpartnership.org