ENPUD Archives - REAct (Rights – Evidence

In 2023, ENPUD’s Expert Council on Drug Policy started documenting strategic cases among people who inject drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In Kazakhstan, 3 strategic cases were documented. Based on the collected evidence, ENPUD experts prepared an analytical document on drug policy trends in the country.

Zero tolerance policy and double standards practice, this is all you need to know about the fight against drug trafficking in Kazakhstan. To say that there is outright repression of drug addicts here is to say nothing. The dictatorial system can only prohibit everything and limit people’s rights and freedoms in every possible way, what to say about people who use drugs?

In Kazakhstan, “drug addiction” is a stigma, with which it is almost impossible for a person to fully socialize in a normal society, because this label will constantly hang behind the back, highlighted in all electronic databases, even after the official deregistration. Such a person is in a constant atmosphere of distrust and violation of rights, he can be taken for examination for no other reason than the

He or she is denied access to the civil service and many other official places, including representative bodies, as this fact is often used by the authorities as criminalization and banal compromise. These facts of marginalization are confirmed by health professionals, publications in the media, as well as by the testimonies of people who are registered as drug users.

This publication is a product developed independently by the regional community ENPUD. The opinions expressed in the publication may not align with the position of the Global Fund, the Alliance for Public Health, the regional project SoS_project, REAct, or partners in the countries. Representatives of the aforementioned organizations were not involved in the writing, approval, or review of the material presented in this publication.

In 2023, ENPUD’s Expert Council on Drug Policy began documenting strategic cases among people who inject drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In Kyrgyzstan, 7 strategic cases were documented. Based on the collected evidence, ENPUD experts prepared an analytical document on drug policy trends in the country.

In Kyrgyzstan, as in many other countries, the problem of repressive drug policy remains one of the serious social and public problems. However, against the background of the fight against illicit drugs, some cases raise doubts about the legality of the actions of law enforcement agencies. In recent years, cases of people who use drugs or have a history of drug use being subjected to arbitrary treatment by police officers have become increasingly common, raising serious questions about the legality and fairness of such actions.

fairness of such actions.

For many years, police officers have portrayed people with drug problems as criminals and dangerous subhumans, dehumanizing them and creating stigma and discrimination. This practice was intended to deprive civil society of the grounds for defending the rights of such people. Instead of following its true purpose of protecting the property, health, and social well-being of all citizens,

including those who have encountered drugs, the police sometimes carried out actions that violated their rights.

Drug control agencies in Kyrgyzstan have long used practices that violate the rights of people who use drugs or have a history of drug use. This included planting drugs, extortion, and corruption. Such police behavior created additional hardship for those who were already in difficult situations.

This publication is a product developed independently by the regional community ENPUD. The opinions expressed in the publication may not align with the position of the Global Fund, the Alliance for Public Health, the regional project SoS_project, REAct, or partners in the countries. Representatives of the aforementioned organizations were not involved in the writing, approval, or review of the material presented in this publication.