On January 5, a famous Kyrgyz politician and businessman, Arstan “Alai” Abdyldaev, was found dead at a penitentiary located in the Moldovanovka village near Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek. He was 55. According to the State Penitentiary Service, Abdyldaev committed suicide by hanging himself in the cafeteria of the special medical prison facility. He was transferred there last December 28, from pre-trial detention in Bishkek, where he had been detained since his arrest on December 15, on charges of inciting religious hatred.
The State Committee of National Security explained that the reason for Abdyldaev’s arrest was the need “to take urgent measures to improve the religious situation” in the country, stating that Abdyldaev “considers himself a ‘new God’, ‘savior’, and considers other religions, beliefs and views to be inferior, weak and invalid delusions.”
His death came as a shock to the public and raised suspicions that he was killed. This was because of the murky details provided by the authorities and the questionable circumstances of his detention. Abdyldaev was transferred to the penitentiary facility in Moldovanovka without prior notice to his lawyer Kaisyn Abirov, who blamed “illegal actions of the law enforcement agencies, investigators and the court” for Abdyldaev’s death.
While in pre-trial detention in Bishkek, Abdyldaev was diagnosed with an “unspecified mental personality disorder,” among other things and sent to Moldovanovka for treatment. In a bid to convince the public that it was indeed a suicide, the authorities released footage allegedly of his last moments, where he is seen wrapping a towel around a cable and walking towards the cafeteria, where there were no cameras.