BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz police have searched the homes of more than a dozen Kyrgyz civil activists and oppositionists over their objecting to a draft border agreement with Uzbekistan.
Several of the individuals have been arrested for 48 hours, according to a human rights defender, Aziza Abdirasulova.
The police haven't given the exact number of detainees.
Earlier, the Interior Ministry said it was carrying out an investigation into alleged preparations for an organized mass riot.
The searches come as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are expected to sign a border-delimitation agreement to resolve all land disputes between the two countries.
According to a draft of the agreement, Kyrgyzstan will hand over the territory of the Kempir-Abad water reservoir covering 4,485 hectares to Uzbekistan in exchange for over 19,000 hectares elsewhere.
The reservoir, which was built in 1983, is located in the fertile Ferghana Valley and represents a vital regional water source.
Uzbekistan, whose population of 35 million is five times larger than that of Kyrgyzstan, uses the majority of the water.
The two Central Asian countries share a border that is more than 1,300-kilometers long.
Many Kyrgyz civil activists, opposition politicians, and residents living close to the dam are against the deal.
They say Uzbekistan could continue using the dam's water, but the reservoir's land should remain within Kyrgyzstan's border.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his allies claim the deal benefits Kyrgyzstan and that Kyrgyz farmers will still have access to the water.
Kyrgyz politician Ravshan Jeenbekov announced on October 22 that he and others opposed to the deal had created a committee to protect Kempir-Abad.
That same day, Japarov called opponents of the deal "provocateurs" who are misleading the public.
He claimed that 99 percent of the population supports the agreement. He noted that he knows who is behind the rallies and processions.