38 Facts About Sadyr Japarov

Sadyr Nurgojo uulu Japarov was born on 6 December 1968 and is a Kyrgyz politician, diplomat, and oligarch who has been serving as the sixth president of Kyrgyzstan since 28 January 2021.

Sadyr Japarov previously served as the 22nd prime minister in the 2020 interim government, following the resignation of President Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

Sadyr Japarov began his political career as a deputy in 2005 after being elected to the Supreme Council and from 2007 served in the presidential administration under Kurmanbek Bakiyev before his overthrow in the 2010 Kyrgyz Revolution.

Sadyr Japarov returned to Kyrgyzstan in 2017, where he was arrested and imprisoned for 11 years due to his prior illegal political activities.

Sadyr Japarov's presidency is viewed to be autocratic and authoritarian, as he consolidated power and stifled dissent.

Sadyr Japarov reintroduced a presidential system via constitutional and government system referendums which increased his executive powers to absolute and reduced the parliament's influence, as well as creating the People's Kurultai which resulted in Kyrgyzstan facing a serious democratic backsliding.

Sadyr Japarov was born in Keng-Suu, a village in the Tup District in what was then the Kirghiz SSR within the Soviet Union, in the family of Nurgozho and Kadic Sadyr Japarov.

In 1987, Sadyr Japarov was drafted into the Soviet Army, where he served for two years in Novosibirsk as a commander in a telecommunications division.

In 2006, Sadyr Japarov graduated from the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University in Bishkek with a degree in law.

Sadyr Japarov started his political career after the 2005 Tulip Revolution.

In 2006, Sadyr Japarov was a member of the State Awards Commission.

From 2008 to 2010, Sadyr Japarov worked as an authorized representative of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.

Sadyr Japarov stated it as a main reason for rejecting Japarov's offer to work in his cabinet of ministers in 2020.

The protest leaders were detained, but Sadyr Japarov, who denied his involvement, fled Kyrgyzstan and lived in Cyprus for some time.

Opponents of Sadyr Japarov highlighted the absence of a quorum and a violation of parliamentary procedure.

Jeenbekov requested for the parliament to reconvene and vote again for the nomination; this happened the following day, with Sadyr Japarov again winning parliamentary nomination.

Sadyr Japarov successfully was approved as prime minister by Jeenbekov, but he was initially unsuccessful in persuading the president to step down until a new general election could be held.

Sadyr Japarov was confirmed as president of Kyrgyzstan by parliament on 16 October 2020.

Since coming to power in 2020, Sadyr Japarov appointed his longtime friend Kamchybek Tashiev as the head of the State Committee for National Security, making him the second most-powerful official in Kyrgyzstan.

Sadyr Japarov initiated a series of constitutional reforms which were criticized by journalists and human rights activists for establishing an absolute presidential system in Kyrgyzstan, as it allowed for a president to serve two consecutive terms and massively lowered the powers of parliament which earned nickname for a new draft for the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan as "Khan-stitution".

Since 2012, Sadyr Japarov has advocated the nationalization of the Kumtor gold mine located in his native Issyk-Kul Region, and accused the management company, Centerra Gold, of environmental violations and corruption.

Sadyr Japarov's stance has earned him popularity among his fellow natives of the region.

Sadyr Japarov has emphasized his administration will have a "multipronged" foreign policy, with Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan being major partners under his leadership.

Sadyr Japarov described the China-Kyrgyzstan relations as the closest it has ever been.

Sadyr Japarov has stated that China and Kyrgyzstan are dedicated to opposing East Turkestan terrorist forces, including through the repatriation of suspects.

Sadyr Japarov has suggested Kyrgyzstan pay off debt to China with mineral concessions.

Sadyr Japarov secured a protocol aimed to ensure energy security of Kyrgyzstan by preventing Toktogul Reservoir from running out of water to a critical level.

Sadyr Japarov visited Tashkent a week later, where he and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev agreed to solve all border issues in three months.

Later that day, Sadyr Japarov addressed the Kyrgyz people, where he called for calm particularly from youth, underlining that the Tajik leadership don't want a war with Kyrgyzstan, noting their experience in the Tajik Civil War.

Sadyr Japarov became the main driver in promoting this law and publicly supported it.

Since the start of the presidency of Sadyr Japarov, Kyrgyzstan has dropped 50 positions in Reporters Without Borders' freedom of speech rating.

Sadyr Japarov has been described as a nationalist and a populist.

Sadyr Japarov is accused of adherence to Kyrgyz nationalism, with many labelling him as "a staunch nationalist inclined to violence", and an anti-Uzbek.

Much of Sadyr Japarov's success is due to his strong social media campaigning, which has expanded in scale after his election to the president.

Sadyr Japarov told Kommersant in January 2021 that from 2017 to 2020, he created a power base from within prison by forming social media groups on Odnoklassniki, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Sadyr Japarov was born in the neighboring village to Japarov's in the Tup District.

Sadyr Japarov is the father of four children, with his eldest son Dastan having died on 26 August 2019 in an accident.

In neither case was Sadyr Japarov allowed by the State Penitentiary Service to attend the funeral.