Kyrgyzstan Justice - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kamchybek Tashiyev

Kyrgyz Court Convicts Former Security Chief Tashiyev, Parliamentary Speaker, and Six Others

The trial of high-ranking Kyrgyz officials accused of plotting to overthrow the government concluded on July 2. All eight defendants, including the former chief of Kyrgyzstan’s security service and the former speaker of parliament, were found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison. However, none will actually serve any prison time as the court ordered them all placed on probation for the next three years. The Letter of 75 It all started on February 9, 2026, when a group of 75 people, including former state officials, released an open letter calling on President Sadyr Japarov and Speaker of Parliament Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu to call an early presidential election. Japarov became acting president in the wake of the October 2020 protests that ousted President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. One of his first moves as acting president was to appoint his long-time friend Kamchybek Tashiyev to be the head of the State National Security Service (GKNB). The presidential election of January 2021 resulted in victory for Japarov, with a concurrent vote approving a change from a parliamentary to a presidential form of government. A new constitution was drafted and approved in a referendum in April 2021. Japarov was elected president under the constitution that was scrapped in that referendum. The previous constitution stipulated a president could serve one six-year term in office. The new constitution allowed a president to serve two five-year terms. The open letter the 75 people published said a snap presidential election could clarify Japarov’s term. But Japarov and others saw the letter as an attempt to oust him from power. On February 10, Japarov sacked Kamchybek Tashiyev and several of the authors of the open letter were detained, with Japarov saying this was necessary to “prevent a split in society.” Japarov was evasive about the reason, repeating that he and Tashiyev remained friends. In the days that followed, a series of top GKNB officials were dismissed, as were the governors of Kyrgyzstan’s second and third largest cities, Osh and Manas (formerly Jalal-Abad), respectively. Several ministers and officials in other state bodies were also changed. The government was restructured so that the GKNB was under the control of the president. Tashiyev was in Germany for a medical exam, and Turgunbek uulu was in Turkey when the open letter was released. Turgunbek uulu stepped down from his position and handed in his resignation as a parliamentary deputy directly after his returned to Kyrgyzstan. Tashiyev returned briefly on February 13, but only stayed in Kyrgyzstan for a few days before again leaving the country. He finally came back on March 19 for questioning by the Interior Ministry and has been in Kyrgyzstan since then, though he kept a low profile. It was clear early on that the state prosecutor was building an attempted coup case against some of the 75 authors of the letter. But Japarov and other officials declined to specify which charges Tashiyev might face, or whether he would face any charges at all. The announcement that Tashiyev was dismissed...

Surrogacy Recruitment

Central Asian Women Recruited Into Georgia’s Surrogacy Market via Social Media

Women from Central Asia are being recruited into Georgia’s surrogacy market through social media, adding a new labor channel to an industry already under pressure from foreign demand and inadequate supervision. A University of Oxford study published in Mobilities identifies Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in that recruitment chain. The author, Dr. Polina Vlasenko of Oxford’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), carried out fieldwork in Kazakhstan and Georgia between 2023 and 2024, drawing on more than 100 interviews across the surrogacy and egg donation market. Georgia has allowed surrogacy since 1997. Under Article 143 of the Law of Georgia on Health Care, in vitro fertilization (IVF) may involve a surrogate mother if a woman does not have a uterus and the couple gives written consent. If a child is born, the couple is recognized as the parents. The donor or surrogate mother has no right to be recognized as a parent. That provision gives intended parents direct legal certainty in Georgia, unlike jurisdictions where legal parenthood may require a separate post-birth court process. For women recruited from Central Asia, the difference is in the hidden parts of the process. Opaque recruitment methods can lead into surveillance-style accommodation, while agents often mediate access to the clinic and to payments that may be delayed or disputed. According to a 2020 statement by Georgia’s Ministry of Justice, 98% of people using surrogacy services in Georgia were foreign-citizen couples, while 100% of surrogate mothers were Georgian-citizen women. Before the war, Chinese nationals accounted for 14% of people pursuing surrogacy in Georgia, and Chinese social media later carried accounts of newborns on flights from Tbilisi to Urumqi. Until Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine was considered Europe’s biggest surrogacy hub. By contrast, in December of that year, a Russian law barred foreign clients and stateless people from using the country’s surrogacy system, limiting access to Russian citizens. By 2022, Georgia was already gaining momentum as a reproductive tourism destination, but the war in Ukraine accelerated that rise. As demand grew, recruitment networks began reaching women in Central Asia through social media and private messaging channels. For women recruited from Central Asia, the complexity lies in the online posts and private contacts that turn economic need into pregnancy abroad. Russian-language advertising often uses “surmama,” a shorthand for surrogate mother that now sits inside the market’s online vocabulary. Public posts tied to Georgia programs refer to Tbilisi and Bishkek. Some use Kyrgyz-language wording and hashtags for Kyrgyzstan. The communication network is plentiful in posts yet sparse in detail, as a stack of cash appears in one Instagram post while other accounts use the polished visual language common to fertility advertising online, where smiling young women and clean graphics make paid pregnancy look simple. One Instagram account advertising surrogacy services in Georgia directs users to a WhatsApp number linked to a Kazakhstan-based contact. The account does not establish whether that person recruits women directly or represents a clinic. The WhatsApp profile image offers...

Bloggers

Kyrgyzstan Proposes Blogger Tax Breaks as Kazakhstan Tightens Scrutiny

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are taking sharply different approaches to the growing influence of bloggers. In Bishkek, President Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree calling for tax incentives for the IT sector, startups and creative industries, including bloggers, a move that has sparked criticism even from content creators themselves. In Astana, meanwhile, authorities are intensifying scrutiny of influencers’ income and using criminal law in high-profile cases involving online figures. Kazakh tax authorities have continued scrutinizing the earnings of popular bloggers, alongside high-profile enforcement cases. In addition, journalists and other online voices in Kazakhstan have faced prosecution under Article 274 of the Criminal Code, which concerns the dissemination of knowingly false information and carries the possibility of a prison sentence. Japarov’s Tax Initiative Sparks Debate Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s initiative to introduce tax breaks for the IT sector, startups, and representatives of the creative industries has sparked broad public debate. The decree, signed on June 12 and titled “On Measures to Improve the Tax System and Tax Administration,” calls for broad changes to tax legislation, including five-year tax holidays for several categories of business. Under the decree, companies and entrepreneurs working in software development, information systems, and artificial intelligence may be exempt from number of taxes for five years. The proposed benefits would also extend to startups, outsourcing companies, producers of film, video and television content, bloggers, remote employees of foreign companies, and other creative-industry workers. Under the same preferential regime, authorities also plan to set income tax at 5% and social security contributions at 12% of the average monthly wage for these categories. Kyrgyzstan’s State Tax Service says the new measure will help position the country as a regional center for IT and creative industries, including artificial intelligence. The agency expects the tax incentives to attract investment, stimulate the creation of new startups and increase exports of digital services. Supporters of the initiative argue that reducing the tax burden could provide an important boost for young entrepreneurs and technology companies, allowing them to direct more resources toward product development, the introduction of new technologies, and improved competitiveness. Authorities also hope the measure will help retain young specialists in the country and make Kyrgyzstan more attractive to international companies. At the same time, the proposal has drawn criticism, particularly over the inclusion of bloggers among those eligible for tax benefits. Social media users have questioned why the state is granting tax breaks to content creators while doctors, teachers, and other socially important professions continue to pay taxes in full. Kyrgyz blogger and entrepreneur Ilim Karypbekov has publicly opposed exempting bloggers from taxes. He said content creators earning money from advertising should pay taxes on the same basis as other entrepreneurs. Karypbekov said he supports tax incentives for the IT sector but believes it is a mistake to extend them to bloggers. “If I earned 100 soms, I would give four soms to the state. That is a very small amount,” Karypbekov said, adding that many popular bloggers generate substantial advertising revenue and...

Counter-Terrorism

Kyrgyzstan Says 31 Suspected KTJ and Islamic State Members Detained in Southern Operation

Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security, or GKNB, said it detained 31 suspected members of Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and Islamic State during an overnight counterterrorism operation in the southern Osh and Batken regions. The operation took place on the night of June 8-9. Authorities imposed a legal counterterrorist-operation regime in Osh, Kyzyl-Kiya, Kara-Suu district, and Uch-Korgon village in Kadamjay district. The GKNB said the suspects had planned attacks against law enforcement officers and religious figures. Security officers detained 11 people in Osh region and 20 in Batken region. During searches, officers seized religious extremist literature, electronic storage devices with extremist materials, four unregistered firearms, symbols of terrorist groups, and money that the GKNB said was intended to finance terrorist structures abroad. The GKNB said its chairman, Jumgalbek Shabdanbekov, directed the operation in real time from a situation center. Operational headquarters included staff from the Interior Ministry, Border Service, Defense Ministry, Emergency Situations Ministry, Health Ministry, presidential envoys in the regions, and Osh city officials. “The special operation was carried out in strict accordance with the law,” the GKNB said in a statement carried by local media. The committee said its Main Investigation Department was checking the detainees’ links, possible accomplices, and financing channels. The suspects were not named, and the GKNB statement did not give their ages, citizenship, or the legal articles under which the case is proceeding. The detainees were placed in the GKNB’s temporary detention facility. Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad appears on the UN Security Council’s ISIL and Al-Qaida sanctions list as Khatiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, or KTJ. The UN added the group to the list on March 7, 2022, for its association with Al-Qaida-linked groups. The UN entry says KTJ was formerly known as Jannat Oshiklari and operated under Al-Nusrah Front in Syria. It also says the group had about 500 fighters. The UN entry says KTJ organized the 2016 attack on the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek. In that attack, a suspected suicide car bomber rammed the embassy gates, killing himself and wounding at least three other people, Reuters reported. Reuters later quoted the GKNB as saying, “The investigation established that the terrorist act was ordered by Uighur terrorist groups active in Syria.” U.S. sanctions records list Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. Kyrgyzstan’s official list of banned organizations includes Islamic State, Jannat Oshiklari, and Jamaat at-Tawhid wal-Jihad. Islamic State was declared a terrorist and extremist organization by Bishkek’s Oktyabr District Court on February 13, 2015, and the ruling entered into force on March 16, 2015, 24.kg reported. No convictions have been announced in the June 9 case. The case remains under investigation.

EU Sanctions

EU Sanctions Seminar in Bishkek Puts Kyrgyzstan’s Russia Trade Under Scrutiny

The European Union held a full-day sanctions seminar in Bishkek on June 9, aimed at Kyrgyz companies, banks, logistics operators and virtual-asset businesses. The session comes less than seven weeks after Brussels used its anti-circumvention tool against Kyrgyzstan for the first time. The EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic said the seminar was designed to raise awareness of EU sanctions, explain their application, and improve cooperation to prevent circumvention. The published agenda set out a program covering the EU sanctions system, financial restrictions, dual-use trade controls, penalties, trade-flow risks, and practical compliance. It also included question-and-answer sessions on financial sanctions and dual-use goods. The Kyrgyz Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the event would cover sanctions policy. Trainers were expected to come from the European Commission, EU member states, international law firms, banks, logistics companies, technology firms, and the virtual-asset sector. The timing gives an otherwise technical seminar a political edge. On April 23, the Council of the EU adopted its 20th sanctions package against Russia. Brussels banned the export of computer numerical control machines and radios to Kyrgyzstan, where there is a high risk that the products could be re-exported to Russia. The Council said trade data showed a significant rise in the re-export of common high-priority items. Those narrow categories carry large compliance risk. They include machine tools, electronics, radio equipment and other components that can support military production, drones, communications systems, and advanced industrial supply chains. The EU is not attempting to stop Kyrgyz trade with Russia; it is trying to close routes for goods that European regulators say should not reach Russia through third countries. Kyrgyzstan has drawn closer EU scrutiny since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A member of the Eurasian Economic Union, goods can enter Kyrgyzstan, clear customs, and then move through regional trade channels. That role has supported growth in Kyrgyzstan, but has placed freight forwarders, importers and banks under closer foreign review. The concern had been building before the April decision. During a February visit to Bishkek, EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan discussed Kyrgyz banks, cryptocurrency and sensitive imports with Kyrgyz officials. Local coverage said the EU was watching about 80 dual-use product categories shipped from Europe to Kyrgyzstan. Around 50 had been found directly in Russian weapons, while 30 more were described as economically critical industrial items used in their production. The April package also increased pressure on Kyrgyz financial channels. The EU placed a transaction ban on 20 Russian banks and targeted four financial institutions in third countries. Keremet Bank and Capital Bank were among the affected Kyrgyz lenders. The EU also designated a Kyrgyz entity operating a platform where large volumes of the government-backed A7A5 stablecoin are traded. Virtual assets remain one of the most sensitive areas. On June 3, Kyrgyzstan’s financial-market regulator revoked the license of CJSC TengriCoin as a virtual-asset trading operator. The regulator cited systematic legal violations, failure to comply with official requirements, and failure to submit required reports. It also reminded market participants...

Labor Migration

Center for Legal and Safe Labor Migration Opens in Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan’s second Resource Center for Migrants opened in the capital, Bishkek, on May 22. The new center is intended to expand citizens’ access to reliable information on safe, organized, and legal labor migration, as well as raise public awareness of the risks of illegal migration, human trafficking, and other forms of exploitation. The center was established under the EU-funded PROTECT project, a regional initiative implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Migrant resource centers are intended to serve as first points of contact for people considering employment abroad, particularly those who may otherwise rely on informal recruiters or unverified online information. Such centers typically provide advice on legal migration pathways, employment procedures, documentation, workers’ rights, and the risks associated with irregular migration. According to Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration, the Resource Center in Bishkek will conduct outreach activities, organize pre-departure orientation sessions for potential migrants, providing training on safe labor migration. The first Resource Center for Migrants in Kyrgyzstan opened in Osh, the country’s second-largest city, in March 2024. Since then, the center has provided assistance to more than 21,000 people through consultations, information events, and job fairs. The opening of the Bishkek center comes as labor migration continues to play a major role in Kyrgyzstan’s economy. Remittances help support household incomes, particularly in regions where local employment opportunities remain limited. However, dependence on foreign labor markets also leaves migrants vulnerable to rule changes, currency fluctuations, and exploitation by intermediaries. In 2025, remittances to Kyrgyzstan totaled $3.49 billion, according to the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic. The vast majority, $3.29 billion, came from the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), while $198 million came from countries outside the CIS. Kyrgyzstan is working to diversify its labor migration destinations. Russia has long been the main destination for Kyrgyz labor migrants, although Bishkek has sought in recent years to expand legal employment channels to other countries, including Turkey, South Korea, Japan, and several European countries.