Gulzat Zholdoshova and Sultanbai Ayzhigitov. Photo: aki.kg
Former member of the Jogorku Kenesh (parliament of Kyrgyzstan) Sultanbai Ayzhigitov and his wife Gulzat Zholdoshova have submitted an official appeal to President Sadyr Japarov and the Prosecutor General, detailing allegations of torture and mistreatment at the hands of State Committee for National Security (SCNS) officers. Journalist Leyla Saralaeva shared excerpts of their statement on social media.
In the statement, Ayzhigitov accuses SCNS investigator Tenir Borubaev and a group of operatives, including individuals identified as Asker and Alibek, of attempting to kill him and subjecting him to both physical and psychological abuse during his April 30 detention. According to the former MP, his arms were stretched to the point of ligament rupture, resulting in a disability. During the arrest, his wife was reportedly pinned down by an SCNS officer weighing around 100 kilograms, causing her internal injuries and loss of bladder control. Ayzhigitov also claims investigators tried to render him unconscious by spiking his drinking water with substances that caused a sharp drop in blood pressure.
Photo: Social media
The couple is demanding that investigator Borubaev and his team be removed from the case, calling for an impartial investigation led by the Military Prosecutor’s Office or the Interior Ministry. They also insist that those responsible face criminal charges for torture, intentional harm to health, and abuse of authority.
Ayzhigitov maintains that the case against him is politically motivated, lacking any evidence of guilt, and alleges that investigators are rushing it to trial during the May holidays.
The statement also urges the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate the torture allegations in accordance with international standards, including the Istanbul Protocol, and to take action against officials concealing or distorting the facts.
“Investigator Borubaev continues to terrorize me with endless summons to investigative procedures, even though he is fully aware that I am in the intensive care unit of the presidential administration’s special hospital. He keeps sending subpoenas to me and my wife, threatening forced escort—likely in an attempt to complete the previously failed assassination attempt on my life. Should anything happen to my ailing wife or me as a result of these actions, I ask that Borubaev and his team be considered the prime suspects,” the statement reads.
ℹ️ Ayzhigitov’s troubles began in early March after he criticized the Kyrgyz government over its border delimitation agreement with Tajikistan, which he deemed overly favorable to the Tajik side. He was expelled from the “Yyman Nuru” parliamentary faction shortly after, and SCNS head Kamchybek Tashiev claimed to have compromising material on him. In late March, Kyrgyzstan’s Central Election Commission stripped him of his MP mandate, citing a previously undisclosed criminal record. Ayzhigitov contends that he had received official documentation from the Interior Ministry confirming he had no convictions at the time of his candidacy.
Shortly thereafter, he was accused of abuse of office. According to the SCNS, in 2022 Ayzhigitov illegally appointed his wife as an assistant in parliament, allowing her to receive over 3.2 million som (about $36,600) in salaries, bonuses, and other payments between February 2022 and April 2025. A court hearing following their high-profile arrest placed the couple under house arrest until July 2. However, Ayzhigitov was immediately hospitalized from the courthouse with suspected stroke symptoms—which he insists were caused by his violent detention.
