Japarov Bans Demolition and Privatization of Historical and Cultural Heritage Sites

Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov signed a decree on measures to preserve objects of architectural historical and cultural heritage of the Kyrgyz Republic, prohibiting demolition, privatization, and any form of alienation of historical buildings included in a special list.

According to the decree, objects from the list cannot be sold, exchanged, pledged, included in charter capital, or leased with a right of subsequent purchase. It is also forbidden to exclude them from the State List of Monuments of History and Culture of republican significance, change their protection category, demolish, or relocate them.

The key innovation of the document is a direct ban on using emergency technical condition or non-compliance with seismic resistance requirements as grounds for recognizing an object as having lost its historical and cultural value and for its demolition. In such cases, emergency prevention work, conservation, and restoration must be carried out.

Restoration, repair, and seismic reinforcement are permitted only on the basis of scientific and design documentation and after state historical and cultural expertise. The preservation of historical appearance is mandatory: facades, materials, architectural elements, and other features that constitute the cultural value of the object.

The Cabinet of Ministers has been tasked with conducting an inventory of protected objects, determining their owners, legal status, and technical condition, as well as excluding monuments of republican significance from state property privatization programs. Financing is provided from the state budget and a special fund for the preservation and restoration of historical and cultural objects.