At a meeting with the ombudsman Jamilya Dzhamanbaeva, residents of Naryn region requested that the At-Bashinsky District be granted border zone status. This request was made during the regional project "Caravan of Rights," which took place on February 12-13 and included meetings with residents of the Kochkor and At-Bashinsky districts, according to information from the Ombudsman Institute.
During the discussions, residents of Kochkor expressed their concerns regarding labor migration, unemployment levels, and issues with alimony. One participant voiced dissatisfaction with the complexity of obtaining insurance payouts.
“Many people insure their property, but the process of receiving payouts when an insured event occurs is extremely complicated. The costs increase significantly, which violates citizens' rights. We ask for help in simplifying these procedures,” shared a resident.
Despite the cold weather conditions, local residents of the At-Bashinsky District also actively participated in the meeting. They expressed dissatisfaction with frequent power outages, emphasizing that their district is one of the coldest in the country.
“While temperatures in other regions remain above zero, we experience frosts reaching minus 40 degrees, and the power goes out,” complained the residents of At-Bashinsky.
Women also raised the issue of receiving the title of "Batyr Ene," noting that due to the large number of required documents, many are discouraged from applying.
Additionally, meeting participants requested to maintain allowances for high-altitude conditions for pensioners who move to warmer regions.
“Many elderly people move to warmer areas after retirement and lose their allowances. This is unfair, as they worked in high-altitude conditions,” they noted.
Residents also appealed for the assignment of border zone status, explaining that when traveling to the Ak-Sai pasture, they are forced to obtain permits each time.
“In Soviet times, the entire district was considered a border area, and this was noted in passports. We ask for help to ease the conditions for movement within our district,” said one elderly woman.
The issue of allowances for employees of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate (GUOBDD) was also raised at the meeting, as, according to a local activist, they do not receive additional payments for working in high-altitude conditions, unlike other departments.
Jamilya Dzhamanbaeva noted that pay conditions should be equal for all workers and promised to send relevant proposals to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
During the meetings, issues of rising domestic violence were also discussed. One woman requested help in holding her former son-in-law accountable for killing her daughter.
Questions of social protection for women were also addressed. Some cannot retire at 45 due to a lack of land allocations, which complicates their situation. A representative from the Social Fund reported on this issue concerning women who moved to Naryn region after marriage.
One participant shared that she was fired from the village administration during her 30th week of pregnancy. The court sided with the local authorities, and she was unable to defend her rights and receive the payments due to her. The ombudsman promised to look into her situation and provide legal assistance.
A representative from the village of Terek-Suu reported that residents learned about the ombudsman's visit by chance and could not come to the meeting in an organized manner, although they had many questions regarding the protection of rights.
The caretaker of one school complained about fines from the Ministry of Emergency Situations for violating fire safety requirements. His school was fined 23,000 soms, and due to delays in payment, the amount grew to 46,000 soms.
A representative from the Ministry of Emergency Situations explained that the fine should be paid by the village administration and the district akimat, which are responsible for creating conditions in the school.
Residents of Naryn expressed gratitude to the ombudsman for her visit and the opportunity to seek help. During the meetings, institute staff provided legal consultations to 20 citizens and accepted 15 applications.
Since the beginning of 2025, about 400 appeals have been received in the Naryn region, and since the start of the current year, 11 applications have already been registered.
It should be noted that the "Caravan of Rights" project is being implemented with the support of UNDP.
