The Unit for Combating Extremism and Illegal Migration of the Internal Affairs Department of Kyrgyzstan’s Chui Region says it has detained a man suspected of calling on citizens of Kyrgyzstan to participate in military conflicts in other countries.
The Internal Affairs Department on December 12, 2024 received information about videos distributed on the Internet and social media with calls on Kyrgyzstan citizens to participate in military conflicts abroad.
The video was posted on a YouTube channel belonging to a citizen born in 1986. The video also featured another citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, born in 1998, who participated in the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine and recruited people to participate in the war.
The Chui Region’s Internal Affairs Department has warned that in Kyrgyzstan, it is prohibited to publish materials that propagate war, violence and cruelty, as well as hatred of other peoples and religious groups.
The governments of all countries of Central Asia have warned their citizens against participation in the Ukraine war on either side. The Central Asian countries consider their citizens’ service in the army of a foreign state a crime, falling under the criminal-code article on mercenary activity. Therefore, migrants who agreed to sign a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry will face criminal prosecution if they return to their homeland. The terms of imprisonment under this article range from 5 to 12 years in Tajikistan, from 5 to 10 years in Uzbekistan, and from 10 to 15 years in Kyrgyzstan.
