In Kyrgyzstan, two special services officers were arrested and taken to a detention center as suspected of complicity in the murder of journalist Gennady Pavlyuk.

This was reported on April 8, 2014 by the Kyrgyz service of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty with reference to the press service of the Prosecutor General of Kyrgyzstan.

According to the Kyrgyz Prosecutor General’s Office, their counterparts from Kazakhstan sent the criminal case to Bishkek on April 5 in regard to staff of the Kyrgyzstan State National Security Committee. They are accused by the Kazakh authorities regarding the case of murdered journalist Gennady Pavlyuk.

Kyrgyz Prosecutor General’s Office also reported that an investigation team was created to continue the investigation into the murder of prominent journalist Gennady Pavlyuk.

It was previously reported that Almaty inter-district court made a verdict on October 10, 2011 on the murder of Pavlyuk, and convicted Aldayar Ismankulov, a former officer of the Kyrgyzstan National Security Committee as well as Almaz Igilikov and Shalkar Orozalin, citizens of Kazakhstan.

Following the Almaty court’s decision, Kazakhstan citizens Almaz Igilikov and Shalkar Orozalin were sentenced to 10 and 11 years in prison, and Aldayar Ismankulov, citizen of Kyrgyzstan and a former officer of the Kyrgyzstan National Security Committee, was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment although in the court all of them pleaded not guilty.

In mid-December 2009, Kyrgyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk, who arrived in Almaty on business, was found dead on an apartment house canopy in the city center.

Later on, the law enforcement authorities of Almaty reported that the Kyrgyz journalist was thrown out the window of the sixth floor, his hands and feet were tied. The police said that the journalist was assassinated.

Pavlyuk died in the central Almaty hospital as he could not get out of a coma and did not survive injuries after a fall from the sixth floor.

Pavlyuk had headed the Kyrgyz representative of the Russian media outlets “Argumenty i Fakty” and “Komsomolskaya Pravda”. He also had founded online media outlet “Belyi Parakhod” (White Steamer). Pavlyuk used the pseudonym Ibragim Rustambek. He repeatedly sharply criticized the regime of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

It is worth noting that the number of attacks against civil society representatives and murders of independent journalists dramatically increased during the ruling of Bakiyev in Kyrgyzstan.

Thus, 26-year-old journalist Alisher Saipov was killed near his office in the city of Osh on October 24, 2007.

Young brave journalist covered political events in Central Asia for the radio “Voice of America”. In addition, he was the founder and the editor of the popular political newspaper in the Uzbek language “Siyosat” (Policy). Saipov often sharply criticized the regime of President Islam Karimov.

Although Abdufarit Rasulov, who was charged with the murder of journalist Alisher Saipov, has been serving a prison sentence for five years, family members of the assassinated journalist believe that this man is a not the real murderer, and that the real killers and organizers of Saipov’s assassination are still at large.

In his interview with “Jarayon”, Shakhrukh Saipov, the younger brother of the killed journalist, said that his family in the first place suggests that primarily the Uzbek secret services, which operate freely in Southern Kyrgyzstan, were involved in the murder of his brother Alisher.

“These are only our assumptions. But we cannot say this for sure as we have other versions. Our government may also be interested in this matter. Kyrgyz security services, using the situation that existed at the time, also could arrange the murder. I believe that the case of the murder of my brother was not disclosed because of relations between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. I doubt that this case will be solved as long until the situation in Uzbekistan changes,” said Shakhrukh Saipov.

He also asserts that the security services of Kyrgyzstan helped in the murder of his brother.

“Special services of Kyrgyzstan know exactly who ordered and who executed the murder,” Shakhrukh Saipov told “Jarayon”.

Meanwhile, some politicians in Kyrgyzstan note that the current government still cannot get rid of the security forces, who were involved in political spying during the ruling of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

“Same specialists work for the State National Security Committee of Kyrgyzstan, who worked under Bakiyev. Under the previous government, all of them were involved in intimidation of businessmen, politicians and journalists, gathered discrediting information against them, and put pressure on them. But, unfortunately, our National Security Committee did not get rid of such employees, who are suspected of murders and violations of fundamental human rights. On the contrary, some of them are promoted”, said Omurbek Tekebayev, the leader of Ata Meken, a socialist Faction party of Kyrgyzstan, said in his comments to the Kyrgyz Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Guzal AKHMEDOVA