Kyrgyzstan Justice - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 7 - 12 of 97

Uncategorized

Russia Sentences Kyrgyz Citizen for Justifying Crocus City Hall Attack

A 30-year-old Kyrgyz citizen has been convicted in Russia for publicly justifying the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall. The Second Western District Military Court found Abdinasir uulu Bekzat guilty of supporting the attackers, as reported by the Russian state news agency, TASS. According to the court ruling, “Abdinasir uulu Bekzat, who worked as an installer of low-current systems at Atrium LLC in Moscow, was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - public calls to carry out terrorist activities using the internet. The court imposed a sentence of three years' imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.” Additionally, the court banned Bekzat from administering websites for two years, confiscated the cell phone used to commit the crime, and ordered the destruction of the SIM card seized during his arrest. Bekzat was detained in November 2024 and required an interpreter from Russian into his native language during the trial. He fully admitted his guilt and cooperated with the investigation. Prosecutors had sought a four-year sentence, but the court counted his pre-trial detention as part of the term under the “day-for-day” formula. In early April 2024, Bekzat posted a comment under a video of the terrorists’ interrogation on the Telegram channel Migrants.ru, writing: “Beautiful guys, such a movement requires a huge spirit, it's a pity they got caught.” The charge against Bekzat carried a maximum penalty of up to seven years in prison.

Uncategorized

Fake Nephew of Sadyr Japarov Detained in Kyrgyzstan

A man posing as an adviser and relative of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has been detained for attempting to seize a coal deposit worth approximately 50 million KGS ($572,000), the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) reported. According to security officials, the suspect falsely claimed to be a presidential adviser and Japarov’s "jeen" (nephew). He allegedly demanded that the mine be transferred to a foreign company, threatening the owner with arrest and citing supposed connections within law enforcement. He also claimed to have personal ties to the country’s leadership, using this assertion to pressure his target. The SCNS launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from a citizen who reported that an individual, along with an accomplice, was attempting to take over a coal deposit by exploiting the president’s name. Authorities confirmed that the suspects had no actual connection to Japarov or his family. Both individuals were arrested and placed in the SCNS pre-trial detention center. Investigators are now looking into the potential involvement of additional accomplices and are examining whether the detainees have committed similar crimes. This is not the first case of someone misusing presidential ties for personal gain. In the summer of 2024, media reports surfaced about the arrest of Ulan Japarov, an actual nephew of the president. According to reports, he allegedly accepted more than $100,000 in exchange for promising to secure an appointment as a presidential plenipotentiary representative in one of Kyrgyzstan’s regions. However, when he failed to deliver on his promise, he was arrested by the SCNS. He was later released under house arrest.

Kyrgyz Citizen Arrested in U.S. for Illegally Exporting Firearms to Russia

A Kyrgyz citizen has been accused of illegally exporting American semi-automatic rifles and pistols from the United States to Russia via Kyrgyzstan. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges on its official website. U.S. federal authorities in Brooklyn have indicted 46-year-old Kyrgyz national Sergei Zharnovnikov, alleging that he orchestrated a criminal scheme to smuggle American firearms to Russia using a front company. “Zharnovnikov traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States last month and was arrested on January 24, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada, while attending the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show to meet with U.S. gun dealers,” the Department of Justice stated. Zharnovnikov is currently in custody and is set to stand trial in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison. According to U.S. prosecutors, Zharnovnikov conspired with others to violate American export control laws by shipping firearms to Russian buyers. He reportedly signed a five-year, $900,000 contract with a Virginia-based arms company to export rifles from the U.S. to Kyrgyzstan. However, the company’s export license explicitly prohibited the resale or re-export of these weapons to Russia. Investigators allege that Zharnovnikov disregarded these restrictions, instead selling the firearms to a front company in Kyrgyzstan, which then transferred them to Russia. U.S. authorities discovered that the Bishkek-based company had signed a $10 million contract with a Moscow-based firm, suggesting the weapons may have been delivered in multiple shipments. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York John J. Durham emphasized the gravity of the case: “The defendant used a complex scheme to circumvent export controls and ship semi-automatic firearms to Russia. Today’s indictment sends a clear message that we will vigorously enforce laws designed to protect U.S. foreign policy and national security.” This is the second high-profile case involving the smuggling of American weapons to Russia. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kyrgyz security services had intercepted attempts to re-export American-made arms and weapons components to Russian organized crime groups.

Uncategorized

U.S. Weapons Smuggled into Russia via Kyrgyzstan, Authorities State

Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (GKNB) has claimed that it has uncovered and dismantled a criminal group that operated a smuggling network transporting firearms, ammunition, and military uniforms from the United States to Russia via Kyrgyzstan. According to Kyrgyz security services, the smuggling operation began in April 2022 and involved individuals from Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and the United States. The group illegally transported and sold firearms, including Glock, CZ, and SIG Sauer pistols, as well as assault rifles, shotguns, and corresponding ammunition. “It was established that Kyrgyz citizens and other individuals - whose names are not being disclosed due to the ongoing investigation - purchased firearms from U.S. manufacturers via online platforms. These weapons were then concealed in shipments disguised as video equipment and transported to Kyrgyzstan. Once in the country, the main firearm components were assembled, creating ready-to-use weapons, which were subsequently smuggled into Russia for illegal sale,” the GKNB stated. Authorities estimate that since 2022, more than 300 firearms have been trafficked from the United States to Russia through this scheme. On January 23, 2025, a Kyrgyz citizen was caught while receiving another shipment of weapons from the United States. Law enforcement officials seized two barrels from a combat assault rifle and a barrel from a Glock-34 pistol. The suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention at a GKNB detention center following a court decision. Special services continue to identify other individuals involved in the operation.

Uncategorized

Prisons Being Relocated from Kyrgyzstan’s Major Cities

Construction of a new detention center has begun in Kyrgyzstan’s Chuy region as part of a broader effort to relocate prisons from major urban areas. The facility will replace the aging SIZO-1, which has operated for 50 years in the center of Bishkek. Deputy Chairman of the Correctional Service Kemel Sydykov announced the initiative during a parliamentary session. Many of Kyrgyzstan’s prisons and detention centers were built in the 1950s and 1960s and no longer meet modern standards for housing inmates. In addition to their outdated infrastructure, these facilities occupy valuable city land, prompting authorities to systematically phase them out. “Construction work has begun on the relocation of SIZO-1. The new detention center will be situated in the Issyk-Ata district of Chuy region. We have been given strict deadlines—to complete construction by the end of the year. The vacated land will be transferred to the state,” Sydykov told MPs. Nationwide Prison Relocation Efforts The Correctional Service has been implementing similar projects across the country. Last year, a new detention center was commissioned in the city of Jalal-Abad, designed to meet modern incarceration standards. Sydykov also confirmed that remand centers in Karakol and Osh are set to be relocated, with land already allocated and construction work expected to begin soon. A few years ago, authorities in Bishkek demolished Colony No. 47, which was located on the city's western outskirts. The site was redeveloped into a residential microdistrict with 900 apartments. Notably, former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev served part of his sentence in that facility. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, many detention facilities in Kyrgyzstan fail to meet international standards, underscoring the urgent need for modernized infrastructure.

Uncategorized

Did Kyrgyzstan’s Security Chief Order an Assassination?

The head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (GKNB), Kamchybek Tashiyev, has been waging a campaign against organized criminal groups in his country for the last few years and it seems he believes in fighting fire with fire. Speaking to representatives of Kyrgyzstan’s education sector on January 16, Tashiyev referred to the fight against organized crime, specifically mentioning the slain reputed crime boss Kamchybek Kolbayev. “I had to take the decision to liquidate the thief in law,” Tashiyev said, “for the sake of the state. And I made this decision, and we eliminated him.” He quickly regretted such candor after his comments received wide coverage and has revised his version of events leading up to Kolbayev’s killing. The Gangster Kamchybek Kolbayev, aka Kolya Kyrgyz, was allegedly the kingpin of Kyrgyzstan’s criminal world. The term “thief in law” originated in Soviet prisons among inmates who were high-ranking figures in organized criminal groups. This tradition continued after the fall of the USSR and the “Brothers’ Circle” of top thieves in law connects criminal organizations in former Soviet republics. Kolbayev seemed indeed to be a thief in law and according to the U.S. State Department, he was part of the Brothers’ Circle, and back in 2007 it was said that Kolbayev was the “leader of the most influential criminal group” in Kyrgyzstan. Kolbayev had been imprisoned more than once, though his prison conditions were not harsh. While in prison in late 2020, a video was posted of Kolbayev and other prisoners enjoying a small feast and singing. He seemed untouchable. The Raid On October 4, 2023, the GKNB’s special Alfa unit raided the Blonder Pub in Bishkek, looking for Kolbayev. Reports from that day said the GKNB intended to detain Kolbayev as a suspect in murder of another criminal figure in July 2022. According to the GKNB, Kolbayev offered armed resistance and was shot dead when the GKNB commandos returned fire. Given the lenient treatment Kolbayev had so often received from Kyrgyz authorities, it seemed strange he chose to open fire on law enforcement officers rather than submit to being gently detained, as he had been before, and possibly incarcerated in luxury prison conditions. However, Kolbayev was an odious figure in Kyrgyzstan, greatly feared by many and the circumstances of his death did not seem to matter to most people, so long as he was gone. A ‘Hit’? On January 16, Tashiyev explained to deputy education and science ministers, university rectors, and other directors of institutions of higher learning that the organized crime structure in Kyrgyzstan had grown strong and had extended across the country. Tashiyev said the criminal network was preying upon businesses and individuals. “We were forced to take necessary measures,” Tashiyev declared, and then stated he had given the order for Kolbayev to be eliminated. He added that the GKNB’s campaign against organized crime was a success. Kyrgyzstan had become “the only country in Central Asia… and probably in the post-Soviet countries, that does not have...