Former president of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev was released from prison on Tuesday and answered journalists’ questions.
He admitted that he made a mistake by filing lawsuits against the media. According to the former head of state, he did not take into account that he was the president and the courts would always be on his side.
«I am also grateful to our journalists; I know that everything was covered in general objectively, including by those media outlets that I sued. You know I’ve sued some because of Dacha SU. Perhaps, there were some grievances, but I am grateful to the journalists, the editorial teams. There must be freedom of the press. I think that I made a mistake when I filed lawsuits: I did not take into account that I was the president. Presidents should not sue someone, because our courts will rule in favor of the strong,» said Almazbek Atambayev.
Being president, Almazbek Atambayev filed multi-million lawsuits against journalists. The courts ruled in favor of the head of state.
The criminal case against the former president on the fact of the illegal release of the crime boss Aziz Batukaev was sent for review. The Supreme Court overturned the previous convictions. Almazbek Atambayev was also allowed to travel outside the country for treatment.
