Kamchybek Tashiev, who until his sudden dismissal in February was the head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (SCNS), returned to Kyrgyzstan on March 19. He was reportedly met at ai
As Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov marked three years in power this week, officials in his government confirmed that he’d seek a second term. Deputy Prime Minister Edil Baisalov said Japarov would take
Protests following the October 4, 2020 parliamentary vote in Kyrgyzstan forced a cancellation of the results and led to the downfall of the government, but no new parliament. Since then, there has bee
This week, the Kyrgyz parliament is expected to greenlight a referendum on a new constitution. The draft has drawn sharp critique from expected corners, while the mainstream assumption is the referend
On December 10, Kyrgyzstan’s Constitutional Court weighed in on the death penalty reinstatement debate that intensified following the brutal abduction, rape, and murder of yet another girl earlier thi
Central Asia’s path to abolishing the death penalty was gradual but firm. In Kyrgyzstan, a moratorium on executions was introduced in 1998 and renewed every year until the 2007 referendum that formall
On May 17, a video started to circulate on Kyrgyz social media depicting a fight between “foreigners” and Kyrgyz in the front yard of a hostel in the country’s capital, Bishkek. The following night an
On the evening of August 30, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov headlined a team of Central Asia’s best football players to go up against the Barca Legends. Some 5,000 people cheered on the game, wh
On February 10, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov dismissed his longtime ally, Kamchybek Tahsiev, from his post as head of the State Committee for National Security. The two men had risen to power togeth