Kyrgyzstan’s former security chief gets four years with probation

The Bishkek City Court has sentenced former Chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (SCNS) Kamchybek Tashiev to four years in prison, with probation supervision for two years.

Tashiev’s lawyer, Latypbek Nuralimov, announced the ruling following the court hearing, 24.kg reported.

According to Nuralimov, the appeals court reclassified the charge against Tashiev from “violent seizure of power” to “obstruction of the exercise of electoral rights.”

Similar sentences were handed down against former Prosecutor General Kurmankul Zulushev, former Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament, Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, and other defendants in the case.

The ruling follows an earlier decision by the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek, which sentenced Tashiev and the other defendants to four years in prison while imposing three years of probation supervision. Both the defence and the prosecution appealed that ruling.

The prosecution had sought nine-year prison sentences for each of the defendants.

By Tamilla Hasanova