The Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek considered extension of the measure of restraint against the leader of Turan party Zhenish Moldokmatov.
Before the start of the hearing, the accused of preparing for mass riots said that he and other defendants in the case were being held in custody in order to silence those who did not agree with the position of the authorities.
«The investigation is not going on. They called me only once, asked questions about what mobile phones I use to post on social media, what I write there, what numbers are linked to my social media accounts,» said Zhenish Moldokmatov.
The defendant’s lawyer, Kantemir Turdaliev, asked to change his preventive measure to one not related to arrest.
However, the court granted the investigator’s motion to extend the term of detention. Thus, Zhenish Moldokmatov will be in custody until February 20, 2023.
The Committee for protection of Kempir-Abad reservoir was created on October 22. It includes activists, politicians and MPs. On the same day, in an interview with Kabar news agency, President Sadyr Japarov said: the authorities have information who was behind the rallies and marches on Kempir-Abad issue.
Mass arrests began on October 23. Authorities placed 26 people in jail on charges of preparing for riots.
A number of international human rights organizations such as the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC), the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), Freedom Now and others issued a statement calling for the immediate release of politicians and activists arrested in Kyrgyzstan.
