Kyrgyz jazzman Vikram Ruzakhunov identified 10 officers of the Almaty Region Police Department who were involved in torturing detainees during the January protests. He wrote about this on his Instagram.
According to Ruzakhunov, on September 26-27, he was in the Almaty region, where he took part in a five-hour interrogation on the circumstances of the torture case. He was shown 348 photographs, by which he was able to identify the security forces involved in the torture of the detainees.
In addition, the Kyrgyzstani was taken to places where he was abused by the military and police from January 7 to 10, 2022. Ruzahunov, according to him, described in detail the details of the crimes they had committed.
One of the videos he posted showed a dilapidated building where detainees were allegedly kept before being sent to the IVS (temporary detention center). The musician was also able to show investigators and human rights activists the cell where he was strangled, beaten with chains and a mop, and the office where his “confession” was filmed. Next, Ruzakhunov will have to meet with identified police officers for face-to-face confrontations.
On January 9, Kazakh state television channels aired a video in which Ruzakhunov “confesses” that he flew into the country for $200 to participate in the protests. The Kyrgyz people recognized him as a famous pianist, after which the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov and the head of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev stood up for him. On January 10, the musician returned to Bishkek and said that he was beaten during the arrest and he slandered himself in order to return home faster.