In an interview with the "Kabar" agency, the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, spoke about the ongoing situation regarding Daniyar Azhiev and the proposal from the Ministry of Internal Affairs:
— Hello, Sadyr Nurgozhoevich. The discussion around Daniyar Azhiev, who was convicted for organizing illegal webcam studios, is actively continuing. Accusations are being voiced on social media that he allegedly left prison by helicopter and is now demonstrating a luxurious lifestyle. Many believe this negatively affects the image of the authorities. What is your opinion on this? We are addressing you, considering that Azhiev was released under your amnesty.
— Yes, that is indeed the case. We pardoned him. His mother contacted me. I don’t know how she got my WhatsApp number, but she sent me a video message.
In her message, she said: “My daughter-in-law with four children is experiencing great difficulties, one of them is disabled, our family is in a difficult financial situation. Please show mercy and release my son. I assure you that he will behave well and live peacefully.”
Since I am a person who shows compassion, I decided to grant him a pardon. That day, I pardoned not only Azhiev but also 75 other convicts who committed less serious crimes.
Later, I learned that Azhiev flew out of prison by helicopter. I immediately instructed the helicopter crew to return and take him back.
Ultimately, Azhiev went home by car. The information about his flight by helicopter turned out to be true, but 15 minutes later the helicopter returned to the takeoff point.
Some blame the Ministry of Emergency Situations in this situation; however, they bear no guilt.
Helicopters, in addition to performing emergency flights, can also conduct commercial flights, as emergencies do not occur every day.
We allowed helicopters to be used for commercial orders so they could cover their expenses. Anyone willing to pay for the service can use this transport.
At the same time, no one gives instructions to pick someone up from prison. The requests only specify the departure point, destination, time, and number of passengers.
Therefore, it makes no sense to blame the ministry. If someone wants to use helicopter services — please, pay and fly.
As for Azhiev, to be honest, I was also shocked when I learned about this. His mother said they “have become completely impoverished”, while her son, it turns out, rents a helicopter to escape from prison. I thought: “I was simply deceived.”
Many abuse my kindness and leniency. But this cannot continue forever. When kind people become tough, the consequences can be serious.
— Some are wondering why the president did not release the poet Askat Zhetigen, who is in prison, but showed mercy to a person engaged in dubious business?
— I do not choose whom to pardon and whom not to. Decisions are made based on submitted petitions for pardon. If a convict submits a request, we consider it. But how can one release a person who has not submitted a petition? If he applies, we will consider his request.
— It was recently reported that you instructed to withdraw the Ministry of Internal Affairs' bill on testing drivers for knowledge of traffic rules right at the place of violation. The public reacted positively to this. Does this mean that the initiative is completely canceled, or can it be implemented in another form?
— The initiative came from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It proposed stopping violators and checking their knowledge.
If a driver does not know the rules, they were supposed to confiscate their license and send them for a retest.
The method is generally correct, but in my opinion, it is premature for now. First, we need to prepare the traffic police officers. Sometimes they themselves do not fully know the rules.
When the traffic police officers are fully prepared, we can return to this issue.
The main goal of this measure is to reduce the number of road traffic accidents.
I always emphasize: previously, many obtained driver's licenses without training, and this became one of the reasons for the increase in accidents and frequent traffic incidents.
This is one way to solve the problem. Our people often talk about the need for “lustration”. So, this measure also relates to a kind of lustration.
We have already been conducting “lustration” in state structures for five years and have almost completed it at the highest levels. Now it can also be conducted in other areas.
How else can we conduct “lustration” in this sphere? If we turn a blind eye to violations, the number of accidents will only increase.
People will continue to suffer. The number of disabled individuals will grow. Therefore, this problem needs to be given the utmost attention.
Now the purchase of driver's licenses will become 99% impossible. The state has taken this issue under control. And those who previously bought licenses and did not know the rules need to be trained to comply with them.
Only in this way can we ensure safety on the roads of Kyrgyzstan.
The recording of Sadyr Japarov commenting on the pardon of Daniyar Azhiev and the helicopter scandal first appeared on K-News.
