In memoriam · Deaths in custody

They did not
come home.

Each name held here belongs to a person who died while imprisoned for their words, their work, or their beliefs. Their deaths are documented and verified against the cited record — so they cannot be quietly erased.

Content advisory.This page records deaths in custody. It documents the deaths of real people and may be distressing to read.

9 lives documented · verification continues

1 — 9

Arstan Alai

Self-proclaimed spiritual leader and former presidential candidate

Arstan Alai was a self-proclaimed spiritual leader and former presidential candidate who was arrested by the State Committee for National Security on charges of inciting religious hatred. He had previously made controversial public statements, including claiming divine status. Shortly after his arrest, he was transferred to Correctional Facility No. 31 in Chui Region. On 5 January 2024, he was found dead in custody. Authorities stated that he died by suicide, but the circumstances of his death were never fully clarified. The Prosecutor General’s Office launched an investigation into possible negligence by prison staff, but no transparent final report has been published.

† 5 January 2024

Found dead in custody on 5 January 2024, shortly after his arrest by the State Committee for National Security on charges of inciting religious hatred.

The record

How this memorial is kept

Cases in our database whose records carry evidence of a death in custody are flagged for review. A member of our team then reads the full record, checks the death against the cited source, and only after that confirmation does a name appear here. Nothing on this page is generated or published automatically.

Each entry carries the date of death as reported, the circumstances as verified, and the source that documents it. Where records are incomplete — a missing photograph, an approximate date — we show what the record supports and nothing more.

If we have made an error, or you have information about a death in custody we have not yet documented, tell us. Corrections are made promptly; this page is only worth keeping if it is right.