Police officials in Kyrgyzstan continue to evade accountability for inaction that may have contributed to the death of Aizada Kanatbekova at the hands of her “bride kidnapper” in April 2021.
On September 13, the Bishkek City Court upheld a May 2024 district court acquittal of the then-Bishkek police chief, Bakyt Matmusaev, of negligence charges in Kanatbekova’s death. The ruling is a blow to Kyrgyz activists combatting gender-based violence and to all Kyrgyz women.
Bride kidnapping is the illegal practice of abducting women for forced marriage, and it’s a serious problem in Kyrgyzstan. But despite statements from the head of Kyrgyzstan’s national security agency, Kamchibek Tashiev, on the readiness of his agency to address gender-based and domestic violence, Kyrgyz law enforcement officers have largely remained indifferent to endless cries for help from women facing horrific abuse. Officials have ignored cases of women being kicked in the head, burned, having their ears and nose cut off, or stabbed to death in police stations after being left alone with their kidnapper.
On April 5, 2021 in Bishkek, 27-year-old Aizada Kanatbekova was abducted in broad daylight by a group led by the man who intended to force her to marry him. A witness alerted the Bishkek police to Kanatbekova’s kidnapping, and police also had access to street camera footage of the crime. Despite Matmusaev’s claims of a nonstop search, her family found that regional police offices outside Bishkek were unaware of the search. Two days later, Kanatbekova was found strangled to death in a car outside the city, along with the body of one of her abductors.
Kanatbekova’s family brought criminal negligence charges against Matmusaev, arguing he failed to initiate an intercept plan despite available evidence. The family’s lawyer stated police had ample time to capture Kanatbekova’s kidnapper as he drove through the city. Matmusaev, the police chief, was purportedly relieved of his duties, but was later found to have continued serving in another high-level police position.
Kyrgyz authorities should make good on their promises to tackle gender-based violence and start treating it as a serious crime, including by fully investigating and prosecuting all cases. There should also be an independent investigation into law enforcement’s inadequate responses.
Without these measures, women in Kyrgyzstan will continue to face life-threatening dangers with little hope for protection or justice.
