Two prominent figures were brought in for questioning by the Ministry of Internal Affairs — former head of the agency Kursan Asanov and former first deputy prime minister Aaly Karashev. These politicians were among the 75 authors of a letter addressed to President Sadyr Japarov, in which they called for early elections.
Earlier, three other signatories were detained: Bekbolot Talgarbekov, who held the position of deputy prime minister, former ambassador Emilbek Uzakbaev, and former deputy Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev.
The letter was made public in the media on February 9, which sparked active discussions on social networks. The next day, February 10, Sadyr Japarov decided to dismiss his ally Kamchybek Tashiev from the position of head of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB). Deputy Prime Minister Edil Baisalov, along with the president's press secretary Askhat Alagozov, accused the authors of the letter of attempting to create a rift between Japarov and Tashiev.
The authors of the letter expressed the opinion that there is an active discussion in society regarding the timing of presidential elections. This discussion is related to two existing constitutions: the old one, under which the current president was elected, and the new one, under which the current government operates. They urged Sadyr Japarov to promptly initiate elections, emphasizing that a new president and his team would be able to continue the initiated affairs and address existing problems.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic noted in a statement:
It is important to emphasize that these actions could provoke political tension and disagreements in society, as well as undermine stability and unity within the country.
In this case, the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated a criminal case under part 1 of Article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic (mass riots). During the investigative activities, two more individuals were identified and detained, who are the initiators and active participants in this activity: A.K., born in 1966, and K.A., born in 1968. In accordance with Article 96 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, they have been placed in a temporary detention facility.
These individuals are suspected of organizing mass riots and other illegal actions. Searches have been conducted at their places of residence.
According to preliminary data, they formed a group that disseminated calls for early presidential elections and attempted to convey unverified information to the public.
Currently, investigative actions are ongoing.
