Kamchybek Tashiev, who till his sudden dismissal in February was the top of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for Nationwide Safety (SCNS), returned to Kyrgyzstan on March 19. He was reportedly met at airport by his son Tai-Muras they usually went, instantly, to the Ministry of Inner Affairs for questioning.
Kyrgyz media, reminiscent of 24.kg, have reported that Tashiev was being questioned as a witness in relation to 2 legal circumstances. The authorities haven’t commented. 24.kg additionally reported that Tashiev was made to signal a non-disclosure settlement after a five-hour interrogation.
On March 20, Tashiev attended Eid al-Adha providers in Bishkek. Eid al-Adha is the Muslim vacation marking the tip of the holy month of Ramadan; in Kyrgyzstan it is named Orozo Ait.
In feedback to journalists, Tashiev wished Kyrgyz peace and propserity; for Kyrgyzstan, he wshed for unity and stability.
“If I made a mistake and offended anybody, I apologize. I’ve forgiven everybody who unfold rumors and slandered in the course of the holy month of Orozo, for the sake of Allah. I hope they received’t do the identical subsequent time, received’t unfold info that doesn’t correspond to actuality. Might the Almighty grant them religion. Blissful vacation to everybody,” Tashiev mentioned.
Tashiev didn’t converse in specifics however it’s not troublesome to attract a line between his feedback and up to date occasions: the Kyrgyzneftegaz corruption allegations and the so-called “attraction of 75 folks.”
Earlier this week, Tashiev’s nephew was amongst 4 folks detained in relation to a legal case involving state-owned Kyrgyzneftegaz and allegations of corruption. The State Tax Service, which kicked off the week with a video alleging corruption at Kyrgyzneftegaz and associated corporations run by Tashiev’s household and associates, put Tashiev front-and-center in its promotional materials associated to the investigation.
These allegations usually are not new. 4 years in the past, Temirov Reside reported on a lot the identical schemes as these uncovered by the State Tax Service. Its reporting was rewarded with intense persecution by the state – particularly by Tashiev’s SCNS. Temirov Reside, alongside Kloop, was declared extremist by a Kyrgyz court docket in October 2025.
After which there’s the “attraction of 75 folks” which seems to have triggered Tashiev’s dismissal within the first place. On February 9, a public letter started circulating which urged Kyrgyzstan’s authorities to maneuver the following presidential elections into 2026, somewhat than ready for January 2027. The letter additionally highlighted the Kyrgyz authorities’s “wins” over the past 5 years; notably, Tashiev performed a outstanding position in all of them.
The following day Tashiev – who was in Germany for medical therapy – was summarily dismissed from his place. After which a number of particular person who had signed the letter – former ministers, officers, and ambassadors – had been arrested and the safety providers re-organized.
The Kyrgyz Ministry of Inner Affairs mentioned in an announcement on the time that the detentions associated to suspicions of organizing mass riots.
The tandem between Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tashiev – the eki dos, the “two associates” – has effectively and clearly ended. Whereas Japarov mentioned that he remained associates with Tashiev, that’s troublesome to sq. with the occasions which have unfolded, from Tashiev’s dismissal – which he mentioned got here as a shock whereas he was overseas – to the state’s allegations of corruption associated to his wider household community.
Throughout the Kyrgyz authorities, allies and associates of Tashiev have been purged, together with the mayor of Osh, Zhenishbek Toktorbayev, whom Tashiev was seen praying beside this week. Eight members of the Kyrgyz parliament, the Zhogorku Kenesh, resigned from the physique within the days after Tashiev’s dismissal, together with Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, the speaker of parliament.
That Tashiev is being questioned as a witness, somewhat than detained as a wrongdoer, is a political hedge. He’s immensely in style in Kyrgyzstan, as in style as Japarov – and that’s what made him a risk.
Kyrgyzstan will maintain presidential elections in January 2027. Rather a lot can occur within the intervening 10 months.
