Case of Mass Unrest in Kyrgyzstan: Several Detainees Placed Under Arrest

Pre-trial measures for several defendants in the mass unrest case were determined in the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek. They were placed in a pre-trial detention center, Orda.kz reports, citing Kaktus.media.

Kadyrbek Atambayev, the son of Kyrgyzstan’s former president, has been placed under arrest in a pre-trial detention facility until January 17, 2026. The defense intends to appeal the decision, and they have five days to do so.

The same pre-trial measure was imposed on Social Democrats party member Ermek Ermatov and politician Temirlan Sultanbekov.

It has also been reported that businessman Urmat Askarbekov (Baryktabassov) has been sent to a pre-trial detention center for two months.

There is no information yet regarding the pre-trial measures for the remaining defendants in the case.

Meanwhile, Kaktus.media later published handwritten letters from Kadyrbek Atambayev. In them, the younger Atambayev explains that he is now accused of attempting a violent overthrow of the government and calls the charges absurd.

In a letter dated November 22, Kadyrbek Atambayev says he and his colleagues did not call for mass unrest but were campaigning in support of candidate Kyyal Toktorbaeva in the Sverdlovsk district.

On November 22nd, at 7:00 a.m., special forces — about 10 people — stormed into the apartment my mother and I were renting after being evicted from our house in Koi-Tash, without providing any legal grounds or rationale for the arrest, and without allowing us to see the search warrant.
 he wrote.

Atambayev noted that officers in "black caps and tracksuits" pressured him and "directly threatened him with torture" if he insisted on waiting for a lawyer.

He also wrote that the authorities justify the "conspiracy" attributed to him with fragments of Temirlan Sultanbekov's "kitchen debates," filmed with a hidden camera.

In a letter dated November 23, Kadyrbek Atambayev stated that the charges against him had been reclassified from “calls for mass unrest” to “an attempt at the violent overthrow of the government.”

The basis for this accusation was that I wrote on my social media page about rising food prices and problems in the energy sector,
 he writes.

Atambayev emphasizes that he did not write about "problems in the energy sector" but had filed an official complaint with the Prosecutor General's Office regarding the activities of a mining farm linked, he claims, to individuals associated with Alexey Shirshov, known as the "grey cardinal" of Kyrgyzstan's energy sector, and Maxim Bakiyev, the youngest son of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the president ousted in April 2010.

He also points out that his publications on food prices and the economy were analytical in nature and based on official statistics.

Atambayev called his case "a theater of the absurd," noting that the serious charges were brought against him on the basis of scientific articles, social media posts, and a lawsuit against Shirshov's associates.

Officials' Response

Earlier, Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that it had disrupted the activities of a group preparing mass unrest following the elections to the Jogorku Kenesh.

According to their information, the group included politicians, former MPs, former state officials, and members of law enforcement agencies, who recruited supporters, including organized crime groups and sports communities, to stage provocations and violent clashes.

The detainees were planning a series of rallies across the country after the election results were announced, starting in the south and then moving to Bishkek and the regions, creating the appearance of widespread dissatisfaction. Their plans included anti-constitutional calls and the possible seizure of administrative buildings, TV channels, law enforcement facilities, weapons, and institutions of the penitentiary system. The group had a clear hierarchy and division of roles. ‘Coordination groups’ were supposed to put forward political demands, while criminal structures would provide forceful support. Some participants had already distributed future positions among themselves in advance,  the Interior Ministry’s press service said.

On Saturday, November 22, Kyrgyzstan saw a series of searches, arrests, and interrogations targeting several politicians, their relatives, and media figures. The scale of the operation and the number of people involved sparked a strong public reaction.

Original Author: Oksana Matvienko