Suspect In Kyrgyz Journalist Killing To Be Tried In Kazakhstan

Kyrgyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk who was murdered a year ago.

BISHKEK -- A Kyrgyz prosecution official says the man suspected of killing a Kyrgyz journalist in Kazakhstan last year will be tried in that country, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

Aldayar Ismankulov, a Kyrgyz citizen, was detained by the Kazakh authorities in Almaty in early December for his alleged involvement in the murder one year ago of Kyrgyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk.

Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General's Office official Tilek Murzakulov has told RFE/RL that Ismankulov will be tried in Kazakhstan and if found guilty, will serve his prison term there.

The Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General's press service confirmed to RFE/RL that a court in the Kazakh city of Almaty sanctioned Ismankulov's arrest on December 1.

Ismankulov is the prime suspect in the high-profile murder of Pavlyuk, who was apparently kidnapped and thrown from the sixth floor of an apartment block in Almaty in December, 2009. Pavlyuk's relatives and colleagues say his murder was politically motivated.

Murzakulov told RFE/RL that since the crime was committed in Kazakhstan and the suspect was apprehended in Kazakhstan, he has to be tried and sentenced in that country. He added, however, that the Kyrgyz prosecutor general is still seeking Ismankulov’s extradition because he is wanted in Kyrgyzstan for another crime, namely illegal possession of weapons. The Kyrgyz authorities began investigating that case in 2006.

It's not clear if Ismankulov has been formally charged, or if any trial date has been set.

Read in Kyrgyz here.