Research on civil society space in Kyrgyzstan

Background:

Between May and October 2021, elbarlament conducted research on civil society space in Kyrgyzstan in the framework of the EU-funded Media Dialogue project. Data collection was done through a desk review, an online survey, bilateral interviews, focus groups and a workshop. Elbarlament’s managing director Sebastian Bloching travelled to Kyrgyzstan twice to conduct the focus groups and workshop in tandem with a local researcher. The goal was to assess recent political developments and how they impact civil society in Kyrgyzstan. This included analysis on how an on-going constitutional reform process, legal reforms and other actions by the current political regime affect not only NGOs, but also other stakeholders in the broader civil society field, such as media organisations, think tanks, trade unions, business associations and religious groups.