UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has chided Kyrgyzstan for its worsening human rights records in a stinging rebuke to the country once regarded as Central Asia’s most democratic state.

Ban is on the second leg of a Central Asian tour that will take also him to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.

«For the United Nations, the protection of human rights is a bedrock principle if a country is to prosper,» Ban said today in a speech to the Kyrgyz parliament.

«Recent events have been troubling, including the past few days. I repeat: all human rights must be protected, including free speech and freedom of the media,» he added.

Ban’s visit has encouraged opposition and rights activists to voice their grievances, and protesters today sought to draw his attention to what they see as widespread rights violations.

They chanted «freedom» and «help us» as Ban arrived at the parliament building in Bishkek to give a speech.

«Honestly, we are a concerned about the mounting risk of clashes between the civil society and authorities,» Toktaiym Umetalieva, a former presidential candidate who now heads an association of nongovernment organizations, told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service:

«The United Nations must solve this problem by using its leverage and addressing that issue with our dear Mr. Kurmanbek Bakiev.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/Opposition_Rallies_As_UN_Chief_Visits_In_Kyrgyzstan/2001706.html