Today, July 2, the Pervomaisky District Court delivered a verdict in the criminal case of the "letter of 75 elders." The main defendants were former Chairman of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of Kyrgyzstan Kamchybek Tashiev, former parliament speaker Nurlanbek Turganbek uulu, and former prosecutor general Kurmankul Zulushev. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
All of them were sentenced to four years in prison and confiscation of property, with probation applied. Five defendants who had been in custody since February — Aaly Karashev, Bekbolot Talgarbekov, Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev, Kursan Asanov, and Emilbek Uzakbaev — were released from the courtroom.
It is worth noting that former security chief Tashiev will not serve his sentence in prison. He was charged under two articles — "Preparation for violent seizure of power" and "Abuse of official position" — on the second charge, the court found Tashiev not guilty.
On the charge of preparation for violent seizure of power, Tashiev could not be acquitted. The court ordered probation supervision for a period of three years. Thus, Tashiev will not serve his sentence in places of detention. He will remain free but under probation supervision. Property, according to the court verdict, is subject to confiscation.
This is a first-instance court decision, and the parties may appeal. Immediately after the hearing, General Tashiev's lawyer Ikramidin Aitkulov stated that he intends to appeal the verdict in the near future. The same intention was expressed by the lawyer of the former prosecutor general, Baktybek Zhumashev, whose client disagrees with the outcome of the hearing.
Recall that the criminal prosecution is related to a collective appeal ("letter of 75 elders") published on February 9. The document demanded early presidential elections due to disputes over the term limits of President Sadyr Japarov. The Ministry of Internal Affairs investigation classified this as an attempt to destabilize the situation for a subsequent coup.
Earlier, on June 11, the court accommodated the lawyers' request and declassified volumes of the criminal case, leaving only future interrogations of secret witnesses closed. Later, the process was closed again at the request of the defendants.