Temirlan Medetbekovich Sultanbekov (born 12 September 1998) is a Kyrgyz politician. He is the leader of the Social Democrats of Kyrgyzstan. He is the youngest vice president of the Socialist International (SI) and a member of the Board of Progressive Alliance. He won the José Francisco Peña Gómez SI award. Sultanbekov, barred from the Bishkek City Council elections, became the first person from Central Asia whose name appeared in the title of a European Parliament resolution.
Early life Sultanbekov was born on 12 September 1998, in a military family in the town of Balykchy, Issyk-Kul Region, in Eastern Kyrgyzstan.
His father, Medetbek Sultanbekov, is a colonel, ex-chief of the main directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic, studied in Russia and Germany, and is a co-author with European researchers of a number of books. In September 2019, due to Sultanbekov's active political activities, he was forced to resign from the Ministry of Defense. Currently working in the Central Asian representative office of ITF-Enhancing Human Security.
His mother, Kyyal Toktorbaev, is a retired officer of the border troops of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Childhood and youth He attended school-gymnasium No. 1 named after Leo Tolstoy. He continued his studies at the National Research University of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow at the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, and also has a two-year minor in law, in parallel with the main course in international relations.
Completed training at the anti-corruption policy summer school in July 2018, organized by Transparency International.
In October 2019, he completed democracy training for young leaders in Georgia, organized under a project of the European Union.
Sultanbekov is a member of Club De Madrid WYDE Network, a program funded by European Union and European Partnership for Democracy.
Early political activity Sultanbekov has been a member of the party since coming of age on 12 September 2016.
In 2016, he became the youngest advisor to the ruling Social democratic faction in the National Parliament - Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic in the history of parliament.
On 6 April 2018, at the party congress, he was elected a member of the political council and joined the presidium of the political council.
From 2018 to 2019, he was the official representative of the Social Democrats of Kyrgyzstan in the Russian Federation. He accompanied ex-president Almazbek Atambayev on his visit to Moscow.
In May 2020, he was elected deputy chairman of the party.
In February 2021, at the proposal of ex-president A. Atambayev, the party congress elected Sultanbekov as the new chairman of the party.
Sultanbekov won televised debates during the elections of October 2020 in Kyrgyzstan.
Confrontation with Sooronbay Jeenbekov, arrest, prison and revolution In the presidential elections of 2017, Sultanbekov actively supported Sooronbay Jeenbekov as a presidential candidate from the SDPK. After an internal party split, he supported ex-president Almazbek Atambaev, and also accused President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of organizing a family-clan regime and deviating from the path of sustainable, democratic development of Kyrgyzstan.
At the end of October 2019, Sultanbekov demanded that a criminal case be opened against Asylbek Jeenbekov, the president's brother, and that he be arrested for participation in corruption schemes, negligence and abuse of office. On 2 November 2019, President Jeenbekov met with the heads of leading media outlets in Kyrgyzstan, where he stated: “Here Sultanbekov says: “Decide who you are with - your relatives or the people.” I decided a long time ago. I'm with the people. What do they want? So that I can protect a bunch of corrupt officials? It will not happen. I made a choice a long time ago: I am with the people! “I spoke out, and things became easier,” concluded the head of state. Sultanbekov responded on 11 November 2019 by stating that he would continue to seek the arrest of Asylbek Jeenbekov.
In the parliamentary elections of 2020, he refused the proposals of the authorities and pro-government parties and was a candidate for deputy in the top ten from the political party Social Democrats.
On 10 October 2020, after the revolution in Kyrgyzstan, he was detained by law enforcement agencies for organizing mass riots and attempting a coup. On 13 October, the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek decided to take Sultanbekov into custody for two months with the right to indefinitely extend the period of detention. The following spoke in support of Sultanbekov: General Secretary of the Socialist International Luis Ayala, Political Party “A Just Russia”, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, politicians Omurbek Babanov, Zhanar Akaev, Irina Karamushkina, Mirlan Zheenchoroev, Almambet Shykmamatov, Altynai Omurbekova, Dastan Bekeshev, Adahan Madumarov, Urmat Dzhanybaev, Klara Sooronkulova and others. Public figures and cultural figures also spoke in support of Sultanbekov: Syimyk Beyshekeev, Mirbek Atabekov, Nazira Aitbekova, Syezbek Iskenaliev, Kairat Primberdiev, Assol Moldokmatova and others.
Within 24 hours Sultanbekov was released by decision of the Bishkek City Court.
In the evening of 14 October 2020, Sultanbekov met with Sadyr Zhaparov and supported him "in order to expel Jeenbekov" The next day, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov resigned.
On 31 May 2021, Asylbek Jeenbekov was detained by law enforcement agencies of Kyrgyzstan on suspicion of corruption.
On 1 June 2021, Sultanbekov stated the following:“All these last three years, I knew that this would happen, I turned to Sooronbai Jeenbekov with statements to help them. But one day he publicly said about me at a press conference that I was telling lies. that his relatives are interfering in power. Now many journalists are calling me, asking for comment. I want to say only one thing: everything that I think about this and about them, I said at one time. Now it would be wrong if I to criticize, it will be biased, because they - the then president, his brother, his staff and a number of other deputies - fought with me, with some 19-year-old boy, fired my parents and other relatives from work, summoned me for interrogation, organized intimidation actions, They mocked and eventually imprisoned them and threatened to torture them. Two years have passed, and now there is no one around them. Where are the brave deputies, the government, the security forces? The main thing is to remain human, the main thing is to always be human!"
Criminal case on the October events 2020
On 5–6 October 2020, mass rallies of many thousands took place in Kyrgyzstan with the capture of the White House, the State Committee for National Security, the Prosecutor's Office, Parliament and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. One of the leaders of the protests was Sultanbekov. On October 9, Sultanbekov was detained by law enforcement agencies for organizing mass riots and attempting a coup. On 13 October the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek decided to take Sultanbekov into custody for two months with the right to indefinitely extend the period of detention. As a result of great public support, within 24 hours Sultanbekov was released by decision of the Bishkek City Court; on 14 October his preventive measure was changed from arrest in a pre-trial detention center to house arrest. The next day, Jeenbekov was forced to resign as president as a result of popular unrest.
On 28 June 2022, in the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek, the prosecutor asked to sentence Sultanbekov to nine years in prison to serve the sentence in a general regime colony.
After leaving the deliberation room, Judge Ubaydulla Satimkulov read out the verdict, according to which Sultanbekov was acquitted for lack of evidence of a crime.
Constitutional reform and restriction of rights
Raising the age threshold for deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan from 21 to 25 years is associated with the conflict between Sultanbekov and Akylbek Japarov. At that time, Sultanbekov was 22 years old. On 23 October 2020, Sultanbekov, during a debate with presidential adviser Akylbek Japarov, accused him of corruption and demanded that the money be returned to the state budget. Akylbek Japarov spoke impartially to Sultanbekov. On 26 October 2020, Sultanbekov announced that he refused to be part of the government. According to him, the current government does not have a clear strategy, plans and will to implement major reforms in Kyrgyzstan. According to Sultanbekov, Sadyr Japarov is "already under the influence of a number of people, and today the state is plunging into chaos, lawlessness, dictatorship, corrupt people come to power, the country's Constitution is not respected.” On 27 October 2020, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov said in a video interview that he fired Akylbek Japarov from the post of adviser to the head of state because he spoke impartially to Sultanbekov. During the adoption of the new Constitution, Akylbek Japarov proposed an amendment to raise the age threshold for deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh from 21 to 25 years, in order not to let Sultanbekov into parliament. The Constitutional Conference rejected Akylbek Japarov's proposal unanimously. However, in the final text of the new Constitution a clause appeared on raising the threshold age for deputies from 21 to 25 years. Sultanbekov said in an interview with the media that he spoke with the authorities and tried to negotiate about the inadmissibility of depriving him of the opportunity to participate in the elections, but the negotiations did not lead to success. Sultanbekov called Akylbek Japarov a corrupt official and began to demand compensation for financial costs to the state. As a result, as part of a tax evasion case, Akylbek Japarov’s wife paid 28 million soms to the state. Sultanbekov called this the first victory, but noted that this was not enough.
In 2022, during a panel discussion, Uzar Zhylkybaev, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic, admitted and emphasized that raising the age limit to 25 years for parliamentarians was adopted in order to prevent Sultanbekov from entering parliament. During the adoption of the new Constitution, Akylbek Zhaparov proposed to amend the age limit for deputies of the JK KR from 21 to 25 years old, Sultanbekov was 22 years old.
Chairman of SDK
On 12 February 2021, Sultanbekov was elected chairman at the 4th Social Democrats Congress party with the support of ex-president Almazbek Atambayev. In the elections of city councils of deputies under the leadership of Sultanbekov, the party passed in a number of cities: Kant (7%), Orlovka (20%), Kemin (8.8%), Shopokov (10%), Kara-Balta (14.5%), Cholpon-Ata (18.7%). The elections in the capital were the most competitive; as a result, the Social Democrats party received 5.4% and did not enter the Bishkek City Council of Deputies. However, the Social Democrats began to hold mass rallies with slogans about the lack of transparency of the elections, bribery of voters and falsification of the results. As a result, for the first time in the history of Kyrgyzstan, the results of the elections to the capital's parliament were canceled. In the second elections 2 months later, the Social Democrats party received 9% of the votes and entered the Bishkek City Council of Deputies. The media of Kyrgyzstan called the victory of the Social Democrats triumphant.