In his latest interview with Kabar news agency, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov responded to questions regarding the court ruling against former head of state Almazbek Atambayev.
He also commented on the statement made by Kadyr Atambayev, who claimed that «this decision is used for bargaining, in order to return former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev to Kyrgyzstan.»
«I have no interest in Bakiyev’s return. On the contrary, they themselves should have been interested in this. Haven’t they been deceiving the people since 2010, saying: «We want to return Bakiyev, but the Belarusian side is not extraditing him? This lie of theirs has now become obvious to the people,» Sadyr Japarov said.
According to him, the Belarusian side is ready to extradite Kurmanbek Bakiyev on the condition of an open trial, but opponents are against this. According to the head of state, none of them is interested in an open trial.
«Therefore, the talk about bargaining for Bakiyev’s return is childish. I owe Bakiyev nothing and have no debts to him that would compel me to negotiate for his return. For me, the most important thing is stability in our country,» he emphasized.
At the same time, Sadyr Japarov noted that even with an open trial, it would be difficult to convict those responsible, since more than 10 years have passed and the statute of limitations in the criminal case has expired.
In April this year, the Constitutional Court ruled that a retrial of an in-absentia verdict in appellate and cassation courts is permissible, if the accused is present.
On June 3, the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek issued a verdict in the case on the Koi-Tash events. Former president Almazbek Atambayev was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison with confiscation of property and deprivation of state awards. Other defendants in the case were also sentenced to different terms.
