Kyrgyz akyn Askat Zhetigen walks free after three-year term

August 19, 2026 at 10:50 AM2 min

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Kyrgyz akyn Askat Zhetigen walked free on August 19 after serving a three-year prison term. He said he never sought a pardon and said torture occurred against other inmates. His lawyer found him in the BChK area after he was taken from Penal Colony No. 27 before the morning check.

Key Facts

On the morning of 19 August 2026, Zhetigen was taken from Penal Colony No. 27 before the morning check and left in the BChK area, where lawyer Akynbek Nogoev found him.
Zhetigen said he twice refused offers to seek a pardon and never asked for forgiveness, saying he is not guilty.
He said torture was not used against him personally, but cases of torture occurred against many other convicts, and he wrote about them in letters.
The Sverdlovsky District Court of Bishkek convicted him on 1 July 2024 under Article 327 and sentenced him to three years; higher courts upheld the verdict.

Release from Colony

Askat Zhetigen completed his three-year prison term on 19 August 2026. His lawyer and relatives arrived at Penal Colony No. 27 at 8:30 a.m. to meet him, but he had already been taken out. Zhetigen told journalists that a detachment commander took him from the colony before the morning check because authorities feared journalists would come and create a public response. Human rights defender Gulshayyr Abdirasulova said the colony chief left him in the BChK area, where lawyer Akynbek Nogoev found him.

Pardon and Torture Claims

Zhetigen said he did not ask for forgiveness or a pardon after his sentencing because he considers himself not guilty and sees no signs of a criminal offense in his case. According to him, he was twice offered to seek a pardon but refused both times. He said torture was not used against him personally, but many other convicts serving time in the colony had suffered such cases. He added that he could not stay aside and wrote about these cases in his letters, saying people should know about them.

Legal Case and Conviction

Zhetigen was detained in March 2024 and charged with calls for mass riots and public calls to seize power. On 1 July 2024, the Sverdlovsky District Court of Bishkek acquitted him of mass riot calls but convicted him under Article 327 and sentenced him to three years in prison. The Bishkek City Court left the sentence unchanged, and in March 2025 the Supreme Court confirmed the decision. His criminal prosecution stemmed from his criticism of authorities on social media.