Crossroads Asia | Politics | Central Asia

Former Kyrgyz Security Chief Charged With Coup-plotting and Abuse of Office

Tashiev has not yet been detained, but has reportedly been instructed not to leave town.

The former head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security, Kamchybek Tashiev, has reportedly been charged with allegedly attempting to violently seize power and abuse of office.

On February 10, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov dismissed Tashiev. After five years in power together, it  seemed that the eki dos – the “two friends” – had finally fallen out.

On April 30, Tashiev’s lawyer, Ikramidin Aitkulov, told media in Kyrgyzstan – including Azattyk and Kaktus – that Tashiev had been charged under two articles of the country’s criminal code: Article 326 (“Violent seizure or retention of power, as well as an attempt to violently change the constitutional order”) and Article 337 (“Abuse of office”).

The details came soon after Tashiev – via Otkurbek Rakhmanov, the director of the Region TV channel – confirmed that there was a criminal case against him following weeks of speculation. Since Tashiev’s dismissal, his family and associates have been targeted with corruption allegations and some, including a nephew and a brother, have been arrested. 

In his April 29 statement, Tashiev urged his supporters to remain “within the law” and expressed confidence that he will be acquitted. 

Tashiev has not yet been detained, but has reportedly been instructed not to leave town.

While the details of the case have not been shared officially, Kyrgyz media report that the case relates to the “appeal of 75 people” – a public letter that circulated immediately before Tashiev’s dismissal in February, which urged Kyrgyzstan’s government to move the next presidential elections into 2026, rather than waiting for January 2027. It also questioned how long Japarov’s term in office ought to be, given that he was first elected to a six-year term, followed by a constitutional revision that shorted the presidential term to five years – while allowing for two terms rather than one.

This apparently spooked the Japarov government, which in........

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