• KGS/USD = 0.01152 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00194 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09259 0.87%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28615 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01152 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00194 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09259 0.87%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28615 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01152 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00194 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09259 0.87%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28615 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01152 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00194 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09259 0.87%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28615 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01152 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00194 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09259 0.87%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28615 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01152 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00194 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09259 0.87%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28615 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01152 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00194 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09259 0.87%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28615 0%
  • KGS/USD = 0.01152 0%
  • KZT/USD = 0.00194 0%
  • TJS/USD = 0.09259 0.87%
  • UZS/USD = 0.00008 0%
  • TMT/USD = 0.28615 0%
01 December 2024

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 4

Just Another Reported Assassination Attempt in Kyrgyzstan

The head of Kyrgyzstan’s State National Security Committee (GKNB), Kamchybek Tashiyev, says someone was plotting to kill him, and it is not the first time, and it is not only Tashiyev people want to assassinate. On November 20, Tashiyev said he received an anonymous letter with a flash drive that contained a death threat. Tashiyev also remarked that already “5-6 assassination attempts were prepared against me,” and “GKNB officers prevented two attempts on the life of President Sadyr Japarov.” Normally this would be amazing, even chilling news. However, Japarov and Tashiyev have been uncovering so many plots, some rather dubious, to overthrow the government since they bulldozed their way to power in late 2020 that it is difficult to gauge the seriousness of these assassination claims. According to the GKNB, by November 25, those responsible for this most recent threat were already apprehended. Surveillance cameras outside a GKNB station in Bishkek recorded the person who dropped off the letter with the threat. He turned out to be a homeless man who delivered the letter after a person identified only by his initials “Zh. A. S.” offered him food in exchange for dropping off the letter. Zh. A. S.  was identified as a former Kyrgyz military pilot who served in the CIS peacekeeping force guarding Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. The suspect was convicted twice. It was not mentioned for which crimes, but the GKNB did say he had been plotting “for a long time” to kill Tashiyev. A report from Kyrgyzstan’s KNEWS media outlet included a curious comment attributed to the GKNB that the suspect was connected to “intelligence services of foreign states and destructive forces, pursuing interests in destabilizing the socio-political situation in the Kyrgyz Republic…“   The Mafia Since 2023, Japarov’s government has been waging the fiercest campaign in Kyrgyzstan’s history against organized crime, and Tashiyev and the GKNB have been leading this battle. Tashiyev alluded to this in his November 20 comments. “When I started fighting organized crime groups and others, I knew that such threats would exist,” Tashiyev said, adding, “I knew they would put pressure on me to give up the fight.” Certainly, the campaign against organized crime has made the government, and Tashiyev specifically, some powerful enemies. Raimbek “Millions” Matraimov amassed a fortune when he was deputy chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s Customs Service from 2015-2017, and even then, people knew he was an organized crime leader. He was so powerful that when Sadyr Japarov was catapulted from a prison cell into the president’s office when unrest broke out in Kyrgyzstan in October 2020, there were suspicions that Matraimov’s wealth and clout backed this meteoric ascent.If that is true, Matraimov misjudged Japarov. In early October 2023, the GKNB killed Kamchybek Asanbek, alias Kamchy Kolbaev, alias Kolya Kyrgyz, while trying to arrest him at a Bishkek restaurant. Kolbayev was believed to be the top kingpin of the organized criminal world in Kyrgyzstan. Matraimov fled Kyrgyzstan shortly after that. Kyrgyz authorities started confiscating Matraimov’s assets in...

Food Catering for Rioters? Alleged Signs of a Coup Plot in Kyrgyzstan

One grenade, a pistol, several drones, vodka to get would-be rioters drunk, one ton of rice and one horse for slaughter. These were among the tools that a band of half a dozen alleged plotters, including Kyrgyzstan’s former deputy prosecutor general, planned to deploy in order to foment chaos and violently seize power, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The suspects’ plan was to hold a sports event along with other competitions on the outskirts of Bishkek, ply spectators with alcohol and food and then rile them up on Nov. 17, when local elections are held, the ministry said. Whatever the chances of success of such an alleged coup plot, the charges against the group are severe and have been rolled out in other instances by a government whose opponents say is intent on snuffing out perceived threats to stability, at the expense of free expression and other rights. Kyrgyzstan has experienced periodic political upheavals over the years. President Sadyr Japarov himself came to power in one of those chaotic events, winning election in 2021 after being released from jail by protesters just months earlier. Japarov had been in a cell for kidnapping, a conviction that he said was politically motivated. He has sometimes warned of the perils of “anarchy” in Kyrgyzstan; critics fear a slide toward authoritarianism. Earlier this week, media organizations in Kyrgyzstan reported that Kuban Adyl uulu, a former top prosecutor who was dismissed in April, was arrested and will be held in pretrial detention until Jan. 10. The government described him as the “main organizer” of the coup plot “whose tasks included financial support, communication with law enforcement agencies, transmission of information obtained about their actions, distribution of roles and coordination during mass riots and seizure of power.” Adyl uulu was among seven people, including several foreign nationals, who were arrested, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said. One of the foreigners allegedly participated in military operations in another country, a possible reference to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “The group had 1,000 bottles of vodka to get the crowd drunk, 2,000 bottles of mineral water, 1 ton of rice, 1 horse for slaughter, and food for cooking pilaf for the participants in the mass riots confiscated from the warehouse,” the ministry said. It said charges including plans to incite riots and resist government officials by force were based on evidence, including the grenade, the pistol, several drones, a thermal imager and other items. If convicted, the suspects could face long prison terms. Adyl uulu had been fired as part of a reshuffle of the leadership, including anti-corruption officers, in the prosecutor general’s office that was ordered by Japarov. At the time of his dismissal, there was no mention of his alleged involvement in a possible coup plot. Instead, the president had reprimanded the prosecutor general and the natural resources minister over the alleged interference of subordinates in the activities of the ministry’s licensing commission. On Wednesday, Russia weighed in on the alleged coup plot in...

Kyrgyz Police Claim to Have Foiled Another Seizure of Power

Operational services from Kyrgyzstan's Interior Ministry have detained alleged organizers of mass riots accused of plotting a violent seizure of power, according to a statement. The Main Department of Criminal Investigation received intelligence about a group preparing to destabilize the socio-political situation in the country. Reportedly, the group had a clear division of roles, including organizers, accomplices, financiers, and executors. The plan allegedly involved using sports events in the suburbs of Bishkek as a cover to spread anti-constitutional slogans and incite violence on November 17, the day of elections to local councils. The Interior Ministry has opened a criminal case under several articles, including charges related to preparing for mass riots and attempting to seize power. During the investigation, multiple suspects were detained, including foreign nationals and individuals who had participated in armed conflicts outside Kyrgyzstan. Authorities seized a range of equipment from the detainees, including a grenade, ammunition, drones, and a thermal imager. Among those detained is a former deputy prosecutor general of Kyrgyzstan, who, according to investigators, financed and coordinated the group. Searches of a warehouse linked to the suspects revealed supplies intended for the rioters, including alcoholic beverages and ingredients for cooking pilaf. The detainees face charges under multiple articles of the Kyrgyz Criminal Code, including forming an organized group, financing criminal activities, and participating in armed conflicts abroad. The court has ordered that they remain in custody until January 10, 2025. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to identify additional members and organizers of the group. Kyrgyzstan has faced multiple coup attempts and incidents of mass unrest in recent years. In July 2024, the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) reported preventing an attempted power seizure by detaining a group accused of planning mass riots to destabilize the country. In June 2023, the GKNB detained more suspects in a coup plot. In May 2024, mass riots erupted in Bishkek after a conflict between residents and foreign students, resulting in 15 injuries and the detention of 29 individuals.

More High Profile Detentions in Tajikistan’s Alleged Coup Case

Two more people have been detained in Tajikistan as part of an alleged coup attempt case involving prominent figures in the country, Radio Ozodi has reported, citing an anonymous source. Official agencies have yet to confirm the information, and journalists have yet to be able to procure comments. According to the source, the detainees include former GKNB (State Committee on National Security) officers Nuramin Ganizoda and Jamshed Boyev. Ganizoda, a retired colonel, was formerly an aide to former Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and worked briefly in Tajikistan's Audit Chamber. Boyev, known only as a retired captain, holds Russian citizenship and receives a pension there. Both were detained in June, shortly after Zarifi's arrest. Saidjafar Usmonzoda, former chairman of the Democratic Party and ex-member of parliament, has been detained in this high-profile case since June. Others involved include Akbarsho Iskandarov, former chairman of Tajikistan’s Supreme Soviet; Ahmadshokh Komilzoda, journalist and deputy chairman of the Democratic Party; Hamrokhon Zarifi; Shokirjon Hakimov, first deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party; and Abdulfayz Atoi, former spokesperson for the Tajik Foreign Ministry. The detainees face charges of attempted forcible seizure of power and incitement of inter-ethnic hatred. These charges carry significant prison sentences. In August, Prosecutor General Yusuf Rakhmon said several other people were under investigation without revealing their names. The case was initially scheduled to go to the Supreme Court in September, but was returned for further investigation. It has not been possible to contact the detainees or their relatives - the case has been classified, and there are no official comments from the Prosecutor General's Office.