The Failure of the First Attempt to Deal with A. Sydykov
As a result of the investigation, a ruling by the revolutionary tribunal was issued, stating that "the interrogated defendants... testified that they never opposed Soviet power and did not hold any secret meetings, and that the charges against them were brought by Khasanov out of personal enmity, and that the accusation is pure lies. Khasanov is trying to tarnish them by any means necessary. The witnesses referred to by Khasanov... (a complete list of witness names followed. — 3. K.) stated that they know nothing about any counter-revolutionary activities of the defendants and cannot testify against them. They only heard that when delegates from the surrounding volosts arrived, the defendants explained to them the programs of the Bolsheviks and Left Socialist Revolutionaries, and that Khasanov, having invited these witnesses to his office, forced them to sign some paper, but what they signed — the witnesses do not even know.
Moreover, the witness — the guard of the commissariat, Ibraim Tulin, added that about a month ago he delivered a summons to Sydykov. At his home, he saw 5 Kyrgyz people drinking tea, and the individuals mentioned by Khasanov were not there, and this was not at midnight, but at 8 a.m. on September 30. Khasanov asked the witness what he saw at Sydykov's, and he said he saw people drinking tea, while Khasanov claims in the accusation that the witness saw nothing of the sort. Additionally, all witnesses stated that before the interrogation in the collegium, Khasanov summoned them to his office and gave each of them 100 rubles, asking them to support his statement against the defendants, and promised that when the defendants were convicted, he would confiscate all their property and give it to the witnesses (emphasized by us. — 3. K.).
Witnesses, having taken the money, still refused to lie during the interrogation, stating the truth. Moreover, witnesses Ibraim Kurmanov and Akhmed Tyulkubaev returned the 200 rubles they received from Khasanov, while the other witnesses stated that due to poverty, they had already spent the money received from Khasanov. All witnesses, without exception, spoke of the defendants as honest people, and certainly not counter-revolutionaries.
The investigative section in its ruling dated October 11, 1918, No. 18, paragraph 1, concluded that there is no evidence against the defendants.
Having reviewed the present inquiry, the tribunal found that, apart from Khasanov's unsubstantiated statement, the accusation was not proven. All witnesses referred to by Khasanov stated that they knew nothing and that Khasanov, bribing them, gave them 100 rubles each. In view of the above, the tribunal ruled: to terminate the inquiry into the accusation... (a list of the defendants followed. — 3. K.) of counter-revolution due to lack of evidence and the absence of any evidence against them, and to lift the preventive measure taken against the defendants — the travel restriction. The material evidence — 200 rubles — is to be deposited in the Council's treasury. As for Khasanov's bribery of witnesses, copies of the interrogation protocols concerning this matter are to be sent to the people's magistrate of the 1st district of Pishpek County for investigation. A copy of this ruling is to be sent for information to the executive committee." Thus ended the first unsuccessful attempt to deal with A. Sydykov.
The accusations made against him and his associates indeed did not withstand any criticism, as they were unserious and fabricated — "holding a secret midnight meeting," "collusion" somewhere with the Cossacks, agitation in favor of the Left Socialist Revolutionaries, etc. Khasanov and those behind him lacked the skill to substantiate the accusation seriously and achieve the intended goal. Although it cannot be denied that his written statement was strictly in line with the requirements of the Cheka and the well-known directive of R. Latsis.
Another interesting aspect of this case is the fact of the rehabilitation of the defendants. As is known, the Cheka at that time executed for much lesser "offenses."
How the political case against Abdulkarim Sydykov was fabricated
