Kyrgyzstan: Five Reform Adventists released after fines

Five members of the ‘True and Free Reform Adventists’—comprising three men and two women—have been released from custody in Kyrgyzstan after being sentenced to fines. The legal proceedings took place at the Birinchi May District Court in Bishkek between mid-August and late September.

Originally, prosecutors charged the group with the ‘production and dissemination of extremist materials,’ an offense that carries a potential prison sentence of up to seven years. However, the judge downgraded the charges to ‘participation in the activities of an extremist organization dissolved or prohibited by a court.’

As a result of the downgraded charges, the defendants were ordered to pay fines ranging between 10,000 and 20,000 Som, rather than facing imprisonment. Investigator Adilet Asanbayev defended the decision to pursue the group under extremism charges despite their eventual release.