Kyrgyz Court Sentences Ex-President Atambayev to 11 Years

A court in Kyrgyzstan sentenced former president Almazbek Atambayev to 11 years and two months in prison. Authorities found him guilty of corruption, illegal enrichment, unlawful land acquisition, and organising mass unrest.

Judges delivered the sentence in absentia after the Supreme Court ordered a retrial of an earlier case. Local media linked the charges to the violent clashes in August 2019, when special forces attempted to arrest Atambayev at his residence.

Atambayev served as president from 2011 to 2017. He led the country through its first peaceful transfer of power but later fell out with his hand-picked successor.

Security forces arrested him in 2019, briefly released him during the 2020 revolution, and rearrested him several months later.

Atambayev denies the charges. His lawyers claim the case is politically motivated.