Kyrgyz Opposition Leader Dodges Imprisonment Over Statute Of Limitations

Kyrgyz opposition leader Adakhan Madumarov attends court on March 26 in Biskhek.

The leader of the United Kyrgyzstan opposition party, Adakhan Madumarov, was found guilty on March 26 of financial fraud and "ignoring Kyrgyzstan's interests" while signing a Kyrgyz-Tajik border deal in 2009 when he led the country's Security Council. A court in Bishkek did not sentence Madumarov due to the statute of limitations but ordered him to remain in custody until the decision comes into force. Madumarov, a major opponent of President Sadyr Japarov, was arrested in September 2023. Madumarov has called the move politically motivated and says it is punishment for his criticism of authorities. To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service, click here.