Bishkek City Court reclassifies 'Letter of 75' charges, cuts probation to two years

September 10, 2026 at 03:30 PM2 min

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The Bishkek City Court reclassified charges against eight defendants in the 'Letter of 75' case from attempted seizure of power to obstruction of electoral rights. The court kept four-year prison sentences but reduced probation supervision from three years to two years. The ruling came after both prosecutors and defense appealed the initial July 2 verdict.

Key Facts

The Bishkek City Court reclassified the charges from Article 326 (attempted seizure of power) to Article 195 (obstruction of electoral rights).
All eight defendants received four-year prison sentences with two years of probation supervision.
The initial verdict on July 2, 2026, by the Pervomaisky District Court imposed three years of probation.
Prosecutors had requested nine-year prison sentences for each defendant.
The defendants include former GKNB head Kamchybek Tashiev, ex-Prosecutor General Kurmankul Zulushev, and ex-Speaker Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu.

Court Ruling

The Bishkek City Court issued its decision in the 'Letter of 75' case on September 10, 2026. The court reclassified the defendants' actions from Article 326 (attempted seizure of power) to Article 195 (obstruction of electoral rights). All eight defendants were sentenced to four years of imprisonment with two years of probation supervision. Journalists were not allowed into the courtroom for the verdict announcement, despite earlier statements that media would have access.

Defendants and Initial Verdict

The defendants include former GKNB head Kamchybek Tashiev, ex-Prosecutor General Kurmankul Zulushev, ex-Speaker Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, Kursan Asanov, Bekbolot Talgarbekov, Emil Uzakbaev, Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev, and Aaly Karashev. On July 2, 2026, the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek found all eight guilty of preparing to seize power and sentenced each to four years in prison with confiscation of property. The district court applied three years of probation supervision, so the convicts were not sent to prison; five defendants held in pretrial detention were released after the verdict. The district court acquitted all defendants on a separate charge of abuse of office.

Appeals and Prosecution Demands

Both the prosecution and the defense appealed the Pervomaisky District Court's verdict to the Bishkek City Court. Prosecutors requested nine-year prison sentences for all defendants. During the appeal hearing, Tashiev's lawyer Ikramidin Aitkulov stated that his client expected an acquittal. The case was transferred to the Bishkek City Court in August 2026 and was considered in closed session.