Azamat Ishenbekov and Zarina Torokulova set for release today
Bishkek – 24.kg news agency reported that activist Zarina Torokulova and akyn Azamat Ishenbekov will be released from prison. The State Penitentiary Service’s press service confirmed that President Sadyr Japarov had signed a decree granting them a pardon. Both Ishenbekov and Torokulova are expected to be released by the end of the day.
Azamat Ishenbekov was one of the 11 journalists arrested in January last year, all of whom were current or former members of the investigative team of Bolot Temirov. The police charged them under Article 278 “Calls for mass riots” of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic. In October 2024, Ishenbekov was sentenced to five years in prison.
Zarina Torokulova, a single mother, was detained by the State Committee for National Security in September 2023 for sharing posts from two other people on her social media account. On July 3, 2024, the Supreme Court upheld her sentence of five years in prison.
This news comes as a relief to their families and supporters who have been advocating for their release. The pardons highlight a positive step towards addressing concerns about freedom of expression and human rights in the Kyrgyz Republic.
