Parliament debates refugee bill

On 15 October, the Kyrgyz parliament discussed a bill on refugees, as a prelude to adopting its first-ever law in this context. "There is no hostility at the governmental level against refugees. The only concern is the financing of the processing of refugees in case of a massive influx," Isabelle Mihoubi, the UNHCR senior regional legal adviser, told IRIN on 16 October. The bill defines precisely the criteria qualifying an individual for the status of refugee, the respective rights and obligations of refugees and Kyrgyz state organs, and the right to refuse refugee status. [For further details see IRIN separate report of 10 October: KYRGYZSTAN: New law on refugee status proposed] All Central Asian states except Uzbekistan have ratified the Geneva Convention on refugees. Laws on refugees have been adopted in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and, in addition to Kyrgyzstan, a relevant law is under consideration in Kazakhstan. "We are holding an open discussion about the law with deputies and state ministers, and I believe the law will be passed by December, since it is now on the agenda of the parliament. This law will neither attract nor prevent more refugees from coming into Kyrgyzstan, but it will establish a clear status, and guarantee protection for refugees," said Mihoubi. UNHCR, which has played a major role in proposing and elaborating this bill, has succeeded, in collaboration with the Kyrgyz government, in bringing about the establishment a multilateral structure, involving border guards, airport authorities and the migration department, to coordinate Kyrgyzstan's refugee policy of Kyrgyzstan. There are currently 11,000 refugees living in Kyrgyzstan, originating from Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Chechnya.