KYRGYZSTAN — Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan filed a motion on June 22 to close the trial of several former government officials accused of attempting a coup and abusing office. Kamchybek Tashiev, Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, Emilbek Uzakbaev, and Kurmankul Zulushev supported the request, while Kursan Asanov objected.

The charges are linked to the so-called "Letter of 75." Tashiev, Turgunbek uulu, and Zulushev face charges of plotting a coup and abuse of office and are free on bail. Other defendants are charged solely with abuse of office and remain in custody.

Prosecutors cited the presence of secret witnesses as justification for the closed trial. During the June 22 proceedings, Asanov, a former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, was removed from the courtroom for disturbing the peace. The motion followed a prior request by the defendants to open the proceedings to the public on June 15 after the case was initially classified.

During the June 15 hearing, Tashiev shouted at a witness, referencing the 2005 murder of the witness's father. The exchange was filmed by the press. Tashiev was not removed from the courtroom following the incident. Kloop reported that after the hearing, the judge criticized journalists, stated they should not be present in court, and invited them to his office to discuss their behavior.

Sultan Makilov, head of the press service for the Kyrgyz Ministry of Internal Affairs, said the release of the interrogation video could not be framed as deliberately orchestrated because the defendants had asked for maximum transparency. During the June 15 hearing, Tashiev, Turgunbek uulu, and Zulushev sat with their lawyers, while other defendants in custody were seated in a glass enclosure.