2011

I am from Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia. Since becoming independent of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country has been struggling to become a democratic state. It has been at times a difficult transition. In the last twenty years, two authoritarian regimes have been overthrown by popular uprisings. These regimes were responsible for gross violations of human rights, which rekindled the distrust of citizens towards the government. We have witnessed the persecution of political opponents and media; corruption; poverty; ethnic conflict (more than 80 ethnic groups live here) and religious tension.

After graduating from law school in the Kyrgyz National University in 2003, I started to volunteer at a human rights organisation. It is called Citizens Against Corruption. People often come to us because they distrust the law and the judiciary, having suffered from unjust court rulings, or because they have been unable to access the state help that they should be entitled to.

My organisation works in five areas:

• Contributing to legislative reform
• Civic watchdog role to foster accountability and transparency of the government, parliament, judiciary and transnational corporations.
• Human rights protection, lobbying and advocacy on local and national levels.
• Empowerment of local non-government organisations and active citizens to be able to participate in decision-making processes.
• Prevention, monitoring and resolution of conflict

The work is difficult and requires a lot of effort and sacrifice, but it is an important way of developing our society.

My first court case took place in 2006/07, when teachers asked my organisation for help because they had not received payments they should have received based on teaching experience. Appeals to government ministries had failed. From 2006 until 2007 I represented these teachers in court. After a year-long court case, we were successful in getting a payment made to fifty-nine teachers. This decision became a precedent and teachers throughout the country began to go to court and get their payments.

From 2007 till today, I am a project coordinator for the International Documentary Film Festival on Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan. This project provides an opportunity for Kyrgyzstanis to see the world through documentaries on human rights. We have shown more than 50 films around the country, including in villages, as well as across the border in Tajikistan, on topics such as children's rights, women, sexual minorities, migration and trafficking. It helps to open people's minds to new perspectives and debates.

In the future I would like to contribute to the development of civil society and a democratic state. To my mind, what I'm doing plays an important role in the legal culture of the Kyrgyz society. The work is difficult and requires a lot of effort and sacrifice, but it is an important way of developing our society. Coming to York helps me to develop my own knowledge in the field of human rights, as well as create new contacts with human rights defenders from other countries. Maybe together we can come up with new ideas to improve human rights in the whole world.

2014

Diana Makembaeva has dedicated herself to improving civil society and working against corruption in Kyrgyzstan. She attained a law degree from the Kyrgyz National University and has since volunteered at a number of human rights organisations including Citizens Against Corruption. She also worked at an International Documentary Film Festival on Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan before coming to partake in the CAHR fellowship scheme from January to June 2011.

As part of the fellowship scheme in York, the defenders are required to draw up a project, which is to be implemented on their return to work. Diana credited the project writing part of the scheme as one of its main benefits, and started work on realising her project as soon as she left York in June 2011. Diana's project was to study the German parliamentary system in order to compare it with the Kyrgyz system and thus to highlight problem areas that could be reformed, her goal ultimately being establishment of a functional civil society in Kyrgyzstan. Diana has since started implementing her second project, which aims to encourage the engagement of Kyrgyz youth in advocating human rights by giving them a medium through which they can come together.

Having the time to recuperate and "become human again" is not only important for defenders as human beings needing rest, but is also imperative if they are to continue their work efficiently.

Diana speaks about how important it is for human rights activists to have the opportunity to take some time away from their intense work to 'refuel' and be in a rested state both physically and mentally so they can effectively implement their projects upon their return to their country. Diana explains, "Some human rights defenders have been through serious hardships and even traumatising experiences, and when one is in that state of mind, one cannot function properly, which ultimately puts the human rights defenders in greater danger." Therefore having the time to recuperate and "become human again" is not only important for defenders as human beings needing rest, but is also imperative if they are to continue their work efficiently.

While at York, Diana had the opportunity to speak to other human rights defenders at the fellowship scheme. This allowed the human rights defenders to share their experiences and constructively critique each other's projects from different angles, which helped improve the quality of their individual projects. Additionally interacting with other defenders allowed them to share their experiences, which had a therapeutic effect for many defenders that had undergone similar hardships. This also helped them learn from each other’s past experiences and how to deal with any complications that may occur.

Diana was interviewed by Maria Fazio (student, Department of Politics) in June 2014.