Trial of NGO Coalition postponed

A trial of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations set for 2 January, has been postponed until 18 January, due to illness of the plaintiff, the NGO’s executive director Tolikan Isimilova in Bishkek told IRIN on Thursday. Isimilova said the organisation was being sued by parliamentary member Alybai Sultanov who was demanding US $100,000 in compensation for what he termed ‘slander’. He accused the NGO coalition of insulting him by not mentioning his name in some of its documents on candidates to parliament during the last parliamentary election campaign in February 2000. Asked about the motives for the trial, Isimilova said: “This is just a smokescreen coming from the state and the KGB in an attempt to close us down. This is a transition time in Kyrgyzstan and the old proletarian system does not give any opportunity for citizen participation or real civic initiative in this country.” The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations, formally known as the Coalition for Democracy and Society, as well international watchdog, the Office for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were particularly critical of President Askar Akayev’s 29 October re-election to office.