The Ministry of Internal Affairs detained another candidate for deputy from the Social Democrats party Anarbek Kataganov. Kadyr Atambayev reported on Facebook.
«Today, another one of our candidates, Anarbek Kataganov, was detained. The Ministry of Internal Affairs officers grabbed him in broad daylight, as if he were an extremist or a dangerous criminal. At the moment, neither his lawyers nor his relatives have any information about his whereabouts, which is a flagrant violation of all legal and moral norms. We consider this to be another act of intimidation and political persecution. Such actions once again emphasize the style of «abductions» — candidates are simply snatched, although nothing prevented them from being invited and interrogated, following legal procedures, in the presence of a lawyer,» he noted.
Kadyr Atambayev added that Anarbek Kataganov had recently joined their ranks and was 41st on the list of candidates in the elections to the Bishkek City Council. He publicly spoke at a press conference in defense of Temirlan Sultanbekov and actively informed the public about the situation.
The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic promised 24.kg news agency to clarify and provide information later.
Earlier, the police detained a member of the Social Democrats party, Zhanna Samysheva, in Tamara cafe, leaving her personal belongings, including her bag, at the scene.
On November 13, searches were conducted at the headquarters of the political party. The Main Internal Affairs Department of the capital reported initiation of a criminal case under the article «Vote buying» of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic after an audio recording of a conversation allegedly between the head of the Social Democrats party headquarters, Irina Karamushkina, and a candidate Daniyar Cholponbaev was posted on social media, where they allegedly discuss vote buying in the upcoming elections of deputies of local councils.