BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court has upheld the lengthy prison sentence handed to former President Almazbek Atambaev in the case of the illegal release of a notorious crime boss in 2013, rejecting his appeal for a retrial.
Supreme Court spokeswoman Chynara Mamytkanova told reporters that the Supreme Court made the decision on March 16. She gave no details on the court's reasons for rejecting the appeal.
In June 2020, Atambaev, 65, was sentenced to 11 years and two months in prison for his role in the release of Aziz Batukaev.
Batukaev, who was unexpectedly freed from prison in 2013 and immediately left for Russia, was convicted of several notorious crimes -- including the murders of a Kyrgyz lawmaker and an Interior Ministry official.
In November 2020, the Supreme Court sent the case back to a Bishkek district court for retrial, saying new evidence had come to light.
The Prosecutor-General's Office appealed that move and in October 2021, the court reversed itself, annulling the decision to hold a retrial. Atambaev's lawyers then appealed that decision.
Atambaev, who has long denied any wrongdoing, was arrested in August 2019 after he surrendered to police following a deadly two-day standoff between security forces and his supporters.
The move to detain Atambaev was sparked by his refusal to obey three summons to appear at the Interior Ministry for questioning involving Batukaev's release.
The standoff between security forces and his supporters resulted in the death of a top security officer and more than 170 injuries -- 79 of them sustained by law enforcement officers.
Atambaev is currently on trial in another case linked to the 2019 violence. He and 13 others are charged with murder, attempted murder, threatening or assaulting representatives of authorities, hostage taking, and the forcible seizure of power.
Kyrgyz Supreme Court Upholds Prison Sentence For Ex-President Atambaev
Almazbek Atambaev waves from the defendants' cage during a court hearing in Bishkek in November 2020.