Statute · Kyrgyzstan
Article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic
calls to mass riots and disobedience
The Detained has documented 35 cases in Kyrgyzstan in which this article was charged. 8 ended in a prison sentence, with a median of 5 years and the longest at 8 years. Torture or ill-treatment was reported in 11 of them.
Article 278 of the Kyrgyz Criminal Code (in the 2021 code) punishes public calls for active disobedience to the lawful demands of the authorities, for mass riots, and for violence against citizens. It is the provision the authorities reach for when they want to charge speech about a protest rather than the protest itself, and it can be combined with preparation and attempt provisions to allege that a protest that never happened was being organized.
The documented caseload is dominated by the Kempir-Abad case of October 2022, when more than two dozen politicians, activists, journalists and lawyers who opposed the transfer of the Kempir-Abad reservoir to Uzbekistan were arrested and accused of preparing mass riots; most spent months in pre-trial detention before acquittals and convictions in 2024 and 2025. Later cases apply the same article to bloggers and activists for posts criticizing the government, in a period of tightening control over media and civil society.
Arrests by year
| 2002 | 1 |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2022 | 20 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 | 1 |
Charged together with
- Art. 327 (20)
- Art. 41 (5)
- Art. 326 (4)
- Art. 39 (2)
- Art. 330 (2)
- Art. 36-278 (2)
- Art. 257 (2)
- Art. 309 (2)
All documented cases · 35
| Name | Arrested | Sentence | Place of arrest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baktybek Moldaliev social media user | 10 May 2026 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Beknazar Aitaliev Civic activist, coordinator of the “Transformation” movement | 15 Aug 2025 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Kanyshai Mamyrkulova Journalist and Civil Activist | 20 Mar 2025 | 3 years | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Kanyshay Mamyrkulova Independent Journalist | 20 Mar 2025 | no sentence recorded | |
| Askat Zhetigen poet, singer, activist | 15 Mar 2024 | 3 years | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Azamat Ishenbekov Poet, journalist, activist | 16 Jan 2024 | 5 years | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Aktilek Kaparov Investigative journalist, founder of Alga.media | 16 Jan 2024 | 3 years | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Ayke Beyshekeeva Human rights defender and journalist | 16 Jan 2024 | no sentence recorded | |
| Azamat Ishembekov Human rights defender and akyn | 16 Jan 2024 | 5 years | |
| Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy Investigative journalist, head of Temirov LIVE and “Ait Ait Dese” | 15 Jan 2024 | 6 years | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Aike Beishekeeva Fact-checker and journalist | 6 Jan 2024 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Klara Sooronkulova Lawyer, judge, and politician | 23 Oct 2023 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Melis Aspekov Political activist, former politician | 1 Sept 2023 | 7 years | |
| Ilgiz Shamenov (Saryldyk uulu) Civic activist and entrepreneur | 29 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Aibek Buzurmankulov Former governor of Talas region, co-chair of the Erkin El party, and founder of the youth organization Ak Shumkar Kut | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Talas |
| Ali Shabdan Civic activist | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Perizat Suranova Civic activist, political figure, and human rights defender | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek |
| Keneshbek Duyshebaev General, former Chairman of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek |
| Gulnara Djurabaeva Public figure, human rights defender, and election expert | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek |
| Asiya Sasykbaeva Politician and human rights defender | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek |
| Chyngyz Kaparov Civic activist, leader of the “Bütkül Jashtar” (All Youth) party, and former parliamentary assistant | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Marat Bayazov Public and political figure | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Zhenish Moldokmatov Politician, public figure, and Chairman of the “Turan” Democratic Party | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek |
| Taalaybek Mademinov Civic activist | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Atai Beishenbek civil activist, blogger, and public figure | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Rita Karasartova Public figure and human rights defender | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Erlan Bekchoro uulu Civic activist, journalist, and member of the “Turan” political party | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Ulukbek Mamataev Chairman of the “Ak Kalpak” political party | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Akyl Aytbaev Land resources management and public administration specialist | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Nurlan Asanbekov Builder / Construction worker | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Aidanbek Akmatov Journalist and analyst | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Temir Makhmudov Civic activist, human rights defender | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Bektur Asanov Former governor, ambassador, leader of the Egemen Kyrgyzstan party, and former Member of Parliament | 23 Oct 2022 | no sentence recorded | |
| Ravshan Jeenbekov Lawyer and socio-political figure | 12 Dec 2019 | 8 years | |
| Azimbek Beknazarov Lawyer, former diplomat, and government official | 5 Jan 2002 | no sentence recorded |
Questions
- What was the Kempir-Abad case?
- The October 2022 arrest of over twenty public figures who opposed a border agreement ceding the Kempir-Abad reservoir to Uzbekistan. They were charged with preparing mass riots under Article 278 and held for months.
- Does a riot have to occur?
- No. The article covers calls, and prosecutors have combined it with preparation provisions to charge the organization of protests that never took place.
Browse all cases in Kyrgyzstan
How we define a political prisoner
Counts are of published records in The Detained’s database for Kyrgyzstan that carry this article, matched after normalizing how sources write it, as of 31 Oct 2026. They are a documented minimum: cases not yet published or not yet linked to the article are not counted. Each row links to the case record and its sources.