Karasartova noted that a law was passed in 2006 ensuring the right of detainees in SIZO to make a 15-minute phone call to relatives once a week.
However, in her opinion, this right is not enforced in practice. She emphasized that during her time in SIZO, she repeatedly appealed to the administration for permission to call her family.
“As a human rights defender, I sent requests for five months, but I never received a response and was unable to exercise my right. Now that I am free, I decided to contact the State Penitentiary Service, as the SIZO is under their jurisdiction. The Deputy Head of the State Penitentiary Service, Sarchayev, claimed in parliament that all detainees have the opportunity to communicate with their loved ones by phone. However, having been there twice, I was unable to call my relatives even once. Now I am going to court to find out why the law that guarantees this right is not being enforced,” said Rita Karasartova.
It should be noted that in September 2025, the Sverdlovsk District Court found Rita Karasartova guilty under Articles 278 “Mass Riots” and 327 “Public Calls for Violent Seizure of Power” of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, imposing a fine of 50,000 soms and five years of probation supervision.
The defense appealed this decision in the city instance, but today the appellate panel upheld the verdict. Consequently, the penalty and the conditions of probation supervision remain unchanged.
