— Hello, Sadyr Nurgoyevich. There has been widespread discussion around Daniel Azhiev, who was convicted for organizing illegal webcam studios. Social media users express dissatisfaction that he left prison by helicopter and, after his release, showcases a lifestyle on social media that appears to flaunt his wealth. This raises doubts about the authority of the government. How do you comment on this situation? We came to you with a question about whether Azhiev was released by your pardon?
— Yes, that is correct. We pardoned him. Azhiev's mother reached out to me. I don't know how she found my number on WhatsApp, but she sent me a video message.
“I have a daughter-in-law with four children, one of whom is disabled. We are in a difficult situation. Please pardon my son. He promises to behave well and live peacefully,” she said.
I am a person who knows how to empathize. I believed her words and decided to grant the pardon. That day, I pardoned not only Azhiev but also 75 other people convicted of less serious crimes.
Shortly after that, information came in that “Azhiev is flying out of prison by helicopter.” We immediately returned the helicopter and landed it at the departure site.
Thus, Azhiev left prison by car. Yes, he did fly in a helicopter, but within 15 minutes, we had already turned the helicopter around and landed it back.
Some blame the Ministry of Emergency Situations for this, but it is not their fault.
Helicopters perform not only emergency missions but also commercial orders, as emergencies do not occur every day.
We allowed helicopters to conduct commercial flights during their free time so they could cover their expenses. If someone wants to use helicopter services, they can do so by paying for the order.
Therefore, the Ministry cannot be blamed. In Azhiev's case, I was shocked to hear that his mother was crying and talking about their plight while her son was renting a helicopter and leaving prison. I thought, “I was deceived.”
Many take advantage of my kindness for their own interests. However, this cannot continue forever. When a soft person becomes hard, it cannot be fixed.
— Some also wonder: “Why doesn’t the president release poet Askat Zhetigen, who is in custody, but grants a pardon to someone who profited from indecent activities?”
— I do not choose whom to release and whom not to. The decision is made based on the applications for pardon received. How can I release a convict who has not submitted an application? If he applies, we will also consider his request.
— It has also become known that you instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to withdraw the bill concerning on-site testing of drivers who violated traffic rules. The public has reacted positively to this news. Will this initiative be completely canceled or changed in some format?
— This initiative was proposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and was aimed at checking drivers' knowledge of traffic rules on-site. If a driver does not know the rules, their license will be taken away, and they will be sent for a retest.
The method is generally correct, but in my opinion, it is premature at this time. First of all, it is necessary to prepare the traffic police officers, as sometimes they themselves do not fully know the traffic rules.
Once the traffic police officers are ready, we can raise this issue again.
The main goal of this measure is to reduce the number of traffic accidents.
I always emphasize that previously, driver's licenses were bought without undergoing training, which contributed to an increase in accidents. Many citizens were involved in road traffic accidents.
One way to solve this problem is precisely this. Our people often talk about “lustration,” and this also relates to this topic.
We have been conducting “lustration” in various branches of power for five years, and at the upper levels, this process is almost complete. Now we need to pay attention to other areas.
How else can we conduct “lustration” in this area? If we leave offenders unpunished, the number of accidents will only increase.
Our citizens will continue to die, and the number of disabled individuals will grow. Therefore, this problem needs serious attention.
In the future, the purchase of driver's licenses will practically cease. The state has taken this issue under control. We must train all those who previously bought licenses and do not know the traffic rules. Only in this way can we ensure safety on the roads of Kyrgyzstan.
