Bakiyev sentenced in absentia to life in prison

The fugitive president of Kyrgyzstan has been found guilty of organizing mass assassination on April 7, 2010.

The former president of Kyrgyzstan, who fled the country, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and his younger brother, the former head of the State Security Service Zhanybek Bakiyev, have been found guilty of participation in organizing mass murder on April 7, 2010 and sentenced in absentia to a life sentence and confiscation of property, “Interfax” reports.

The verdict was announced on Friday by the presiding judge Damir Onolbekov.

He said that the both brothers, Bakiyevs, have been also found guilty of attempted murder and abuse of power. The court deprived them of a right to occupy public posts for 3 years.

Besides Bakiyevs, former deputy head of the State Security Service Daniyar Dunganov, and Nurlan Temirbayev were found guilty and sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment.

In addition, Temirbayev is charged with abuse of power when he ordered to use arms against protesters. The same charges were brought against the former head of the special service Murat Sutalinov, who, like heads of the service of the state security, was found guilty of involvement in the murder and organizing an assault to murder. He was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment. They all were present in the court when the verdict was announced.

On April 7, 2010 clashes between the government forces and opposition took place in central Bishkek. More than 80 persons were killed, more than 300 were injured. As a result of those events the regime changed in Kyrgyzstan, and the former president fled the country.

The trial over the actions on April 7, 2010 lasted for 4 years. There were 28 persons on the dock. There was high-ranking officials of Bakiyev’s administration and members of government among them.

The verdict was read out amid heightened measures of security, all accused were taken out the court room one by one closely surrounded by security guards, in order to avoid any aggressive actions by relatives of the massacred and injured.

We remind that the former president of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev fled the country after the revolution and settled in Belarus. last year mass media published information that Zhanybek Bakiyev, the former head of the State Security Service, was in Minsk. In early 2013 the former president and his brother Zhanysh were sentenced in absentia in the case of the assassinated head of presidential administration Medet Sadyrkulov, who allegedly was killed by the former authorities as he wanted to join opposition. Kurmanbek Bakiyev was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison for this crime, while his brother was sentenced in absentia to a life in prison. Bishkek officially demanded to extradite Bakiyev, but extradition was denied.