America News Agency

The presidential decree also instructed the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Bailiff Service of Kyrgyzstan to take appropriate measures to confiscate the state awards and the accompanying documents.

Former Kyrgyz President Atambayev handed over power in the 2017 elections to his successor and close ally Sooronbay Jeenbekov. However, shortly afterward, criminal cases were opened against members of the former president’s team.

Atambayev was stripped of his former president status and charged with a number of serious and especially serious crimes. He has repeatedly stated that all accusations against him and his associates are politically motivated.

On August 7–8, 2019, Kyrgyz security forces carried out an operation to detain Atambayev at his residence in the village of Koi-Tash, located about 20 kilometers from the capital. Non-lethal weapons were used against supporters of the former leader, who responded with gunfire. The former president surrendered to security forces on the second day of clashes. According to the Ministry of Health, 136 people were injured and one special forces officer was killed during the operation.

In February 2023, a court in Kyrgyzstan allowed Atambayev to travel to Spain for medical treatment. He has not returned to Kyrgyzstan since then.