Human rights in Kyrgyzstan rank poorly, and continue to decline due to political centralization and restrictions on fundamental freedoms. Beginning in 2021, Freedom House has classified Kyrgyzstan as "not free". The United States Department of State reports concerns including torture; arbitrary arrest or detention; restrictions on freedom of expression and media, including censorship and violence against journalists; antisemitism; human trafficking, forced labor and child labor; and systematic restrictions, threats and violence against union activities. Government actions against media, journalists and activists escalated from May to October 2025. As of August 2025, a media law requires mandatory government registration for all media outlets, including online media.
As of 2025, Kyrgyzstan ranked 104th of 143 countries on the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index. Also in 2025, its ranking on Reporters Without Borders (RSF)'s World Press Freedom Index dropped 24 places, to 144th of 180 countries. Key issues include arbitrary arrests of journalists and activists, weakening of legal protections against torture, and the government's use of restrictive legislation to limit the activity of independent NGOs and restrict free expression in media and civil activities. Constitutional changes have been used to significantly expand presidential authority, weaken parliamentary oversight and allow unchecked corruption.
Corruption is an issue in the country, which ranks 146th of 180 countries on the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Despite some reports of improvements, women in Kyrgyzstan experience high rates of domestic violence, bride kidnapping, human trafficking, child marriage, economic inequality, and under-representation in political life. LGBTQ rights in Kyrgyzstan have been declining in recent years.
Political history
Formerly a republic of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan became independent in 1991. Initially Kyrgyzstan was hailed as the most democratic country in Central Asia, with greater press freedoms and an active civil society. The country was quick to join international organizations and to ratify global human rights conventions.
Remaining reasonably stable throughout most of the 1990s, democracy in Kyrgyzstan showed initial promise under the leadership of Askar Akayev, but moved towards autocracy and authoritarianism by the early 2000s. In 2004, Kyrgyzstan was rated by Freedom House as "Not Free," with a 6 in Political Rights and 5 in Civil Liberties (scale of 1–7; 1 is the highest). This indicated marked regression, from a 4.3 rating a decade earlier in 1994. Following the Tulip Revolution of March 2005, Akayev resigned.
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was elected in July 2005, but fled in 2010 after the Second Kyrgyz Revolution. Roza Otunbayeva then took over as an interim President. A new constitution was adopted in 2010 restricting the presidency to a single six-year term limit, and creating a semi-parliamentary system with shared executive power.
In December 2011 President Almazbek Atambayev took power. In November 2017, Sooronbay Jeenbekov became president. In 2020, following a contested Parliamentary election and the Third Kyrgyz Revolution, Jeenbekov resigned. He was succeeded by president Sadyr Japarov as of 28 January 2021. Two public referendums in 2021 (10 January 2021 and 11 April 2021) resulted in constitutional reforms that reduced the size of the Kyrgyz Supreme Council and transferred significant powers from the legislature to the president.
The following chart shows Kyrgyzstan's ratings under various leadership since 1991, as given by the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "free"; 7, "not free". Historical ratings YearPolitical RightsCivil LibertiesStatusPresident 199154Partly FreeAskar Akayev 199242Partly FreeAskar Akayev 199353Partly FreeAskar Akayev 199443Partly FreeAskar Akayev 199544Partly FreeAskar Akayev 199644Partly FreeAskar Akayev 199744Partly FreeAskar Akayev 199855Partly FreeAskar Akayev 199955Partly FreeAskar Akayev 200065Not FreeAskar Akayev 200165Not FreeAskar Akayev 200265Not FreeAskar Akayev 200365Not FreeAskar Akayev 200465Not FreeAskar Akayev 200554Partly FreeAskar Akayev 200654Partly FreeKurmanbek Bakiyev 200754Partly FreeKurmanbek Bakiyev 200854Partly FreeKurmanbek Bakiyev 200965Not FreeKurmanbek Bakiyev 201055Partly FreeKurmanbek Bakiyev 201155Partly FreeRoza Otunbayeva 201255Partly FreeAlmazbek Atambayev 201355Partly FreeAlmazbek Atambayev 201455Partly FreeAlmazbek Atambayev 201555Partly FreeAlmazbek Atambayev 201655Partly FreeAlmazbek Atambayev 201755Partly FreeAlmazbek Atambayev 201854Partly FreeSooronbay Jeenbekov 201954Partly FreeSooronbay Jeenbekov 202075Not FreeSooronbay Jeenbekov 202175Not FreeTalant Mamytov (acting) 202275Not FreeSadyr Japarov 202375Not FreeSadyr Japarov
Areas of concern Press freedom While there has been a history of critical journalism in the country, journalists, media outlets and activists increasingly risk arrest and criminal charges in retaliation for exercising the right to freedom of expression and for covering controversial topics (like corruption). The arrests of Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and others at the anti-corruption news portal Temirov Live are considered by international human rights organizations to be part of a broader pattern of attempts by the Kyrgyz government to silence critics.
Authorities often use article 278 of the Kyrgyzstani criminal code to judicially harass journalists with vague charges such as calling for mass disorder. Cases include Kanyshai Mamyrkulova, who was found guilty of "calling for mass riots" after criticising a border agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in social media posts in March 2025. Rita Karasartova was head of the Institute for Public Analysis, a non-governmental organisation to monitor the judicial system in Kyrgyzstan. She was arrested on April 14, 2025, after posting a letter from political activist Tilekmat Kurenov, and sentenced on September 18, 2025, to five years' probation and a fine of 50, 000 KGS.
From May to October 2025 there were widespread government actions against media, journalists and activists, further undermining freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly in Kyrgyzstan. Staff of Kloop media were arrested in May and convicted in September, for allegedly "calling for mass riots". In July 2025, a court forced the closure of April TV, for “negative” information and “sarcasm.” A new media law was signed by President Japarov in August 2025, requiring mandatory registration of all media outlets, including online media, and granting the government control over registration procedures. On September 23, 2025, President Japarov signed legislation to close the National Centre for the Prevention of Torture, an independent monitoring body, in violation of the country's international commitments to the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT).
Traditional storytellers, or akyns, have also faced scrutiny. In March 2025, performer Asylbek Maratov reported receiving a warning from state security after singing about political issues. Another akyn, Askat Zhetigen, was sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly calling for the violent seizure of power. Critics argue these actions reflect a shrinking space for free expression in Kyrgyzstan.
Journalism in Kyrgyzstan, especially when related to religious topics or inter-ethnic relations, often lacks neutrality in its coverage.
Women's rights The country suffers from high and rising inequalities, women are largely excluded from decision-making. Violence against women is widespread and takes many forms, including domestic violence, bride kidnapping, trafficking, early marriages and physical abuse. The negative reinterpretation of some cultural and social practices increasingly restricts women's rights to control their lives. Rural women and girls have restricted access to productive resources.
In cooperation with the United Nations Kyrgyzstan developed a policy plan to decrease gender inequality in 2013, but women still suffer from their subordinated position in society. Kyrgyzstan strengthened the 2016 Family Violence Law a year later and criminalized domestic violence in January 2019. However, authorities are not consistently enforcing protective measures for women and girls.
In 2018, the release of the music video "Kyz" (Girl) by singer and activist Zere Asylbek sparked a nationwide debate on women’s rights and bodily autonomy in Kyrgyzstan. The video, which featured Asylbek wearing a bra and blazer, challenged traditional gender norms and social expectations (often referred to as uyat, or "shame"). Despite receiving numerous death threats and online harassment following the release, Asylbek used the platform to advocate against victim-blaming and gender-based violence. Her work became a symbol for a new wave of Kyrgyz feminism, highlighting the tension between conservative social structures and the growing movement for individual freedoms and women's protection under the law.
Bride kidnapping As a consequence of changes in gender ideologies in Kyrgyzstan, there has been a revival and legitimation of nonconsensual bride kidnapping as a national tradition. In this practise the groom abducts a girl off the street with a group of friends and brings her to his parents. Traditionally the women of the family will try to convince the girl to marry the boy who abducted her. Often girls have little choice, because refusing to marry often leads to being outcast by their parents.
Even though in Kyrgyz law the practice is considered illegal and a violation of human rights since 2013, up to 50% of ethnic Kyrgyz marriages are a result of kidnappings, both consensual and non-consensual. In April 2021, protests broke out in Bishkek after a woman was found dead following a bride kidnapping. The country's president Sadyr Japarov called for the incident to be the last in Kyrgyzstan's history. Changes to the Criminal Code, as of December 1, 2021, increased the sentences for kidnapping a person for marriage under Article 172, to imprisonment for five to seven years.
LGBT rights
Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Kyrgyzstan, having been decriminalized in 1998. The age of consent is defined as 16. However, same-sex marriage is not recognized and was explicitly banned in the constitution as of 2016.
From 2001 to 2020, trans people in Kyrgyzstan were accorded gender recognition and could be legally recognized under the Kyrgyz law "On acts of civil status". This was amended by Parliament on June 17, 2020, to restrict legal gender recognition and limit the use of gender markers to male and female. As of August 1, 2020, when the revised law took effect, transgender individuals cannot obtain legal gender recognition in Kyrgyzstan.
On 14 August 2023, the President of Kyrgyzstan signed into law a proposal to amend the Child Protection Law to define information harmful to the health and development of children as including content that "promotes non-traditional sexual relations". Information about LGBT people and sexual identities is therefore treated similarly to violent or pornographic content.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people face stigmatization, ill-treatment, extortion, and discrimination by state and non-state actors. Domestic violence against LGBT minors is a major issue and victims have limited access to government support. LGBT people are often unable to seek protection because of violence and other abuses by law enforcement agencies. Ill-treatment against LGBT people by law enforcement authorities is a systemic phenomenon in Kyrgyzstan according to Kyrgyz Indigo, a local LGBT advocacy group.