Temirlan Sultanbekov

Temirlan Medetbekovich Sultanbekov is a Kyrgyz politician. He is the leader of the oldest and popular party Social Democrats in the Kyrgyz Republic, vice-president of the Socialist International.

Early life
Temirlan Medetbekovich Sultanbekov was born on September 12, 1998, in a military family in the town of Balykchy, Issyk-Kul Region, in Eastern Kyrgyzstan.

Father - Medetbek Sultanbekov - is a colonel, ex-chief of the main directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic, studied in Russia and Germany, and is a co-author with European researchers of a number of books. In September 2019, due to Temirlan Sultanbekov’s active political activities, he was forced to resign from the Ministry of Defense. Currently working in the Central Asian representative office of ITF-Enhancing Human Security.

His mother, Kyyal Toktorbaev, is a retired officer of the border troops of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Childhood and youth
While at school, he participated in the UN World Youth Conference on Water Resources from the Kyrgyz Republic, and also took part in other international events abroad.

In grades 10-11, he was the winner of the Republican Olympiad in world and national history, organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Graduated from school-gymnasium No. 1 named after Leo Tolstoy with honors.

He continued his studies at the National Research University of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow at the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, and also has a two-year minor in law, in parallel with the main course in international relations. Worked as an assistant to associate professor N.M. Milovantseva. at the International Laboratory for Research on World Order and New Regionalism.

Completed training at the anti-corruption policy summer school in July 2018, organized by Transparency International.

In October 2019, he completed democracy training for young leaders in Georgia, organized under a project of the European Union.

Temirlan Sultanbekov is a member of Club De Madrid WYDE Network, a program funded by European Union and European Partnership for Democracy.

Early political activity
Temirlan Sultanbekov has been a member of the party since coming of age on September 12, 2016. Holds an honorary party card No. 9.

In 2016, he became the youngest advisor to the ruling Social democratic faction in the National Parliament - Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic in the entire history of parliament. On April 6, 2018, at the party congress, he was elected a member of the political council and joined the presidium of the political council. From 2018 to 2019, he was the official representative of the Social Democrats of Kyrgyzstan in the Russian Federation. He accompanied ex-president Almazbek Atambayev on his visit to Moscow.

In May 2020, he was elected deputy chairman of the party.

In February 2021, at the proposal of ex-president A. Atambayev, the party congress elected Temirlan Sultanbekov as the new chairman of the party.

Sultanbekov also became famous for winning televised debates during the elections of October 2020 in Kyrgyzstan.

Confrontation with Sooronbay Jeenbekov, arrest, prison and revolution
In the presidential elections of 2017, Temirlan Sultanbekov actively supported Sooronbay Jeenbekov as a presidential candidate from the SDPK. After an internal party split, he supported ex-president A. Atambaev, and also accused President Sooronbai Jeenbekov of organizing a family-clan regime and deviating from the path of sustainable, democratic development of Kyrgyzstan.

At the end of October 2019, Temirlan Sultanbekov demanded that a criminal case be opened against Asylbek Jeenbekov, the brother of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, and that he be arrested for participation in corruption schemes, negligence and abuse of office. On November 2, 2019, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov met with the heads of leading media outlets in Kyrgyzstan, where he stated: “Here Sultanbekov says: “Decide who you are with - your relatives or the people.” I decided a long time ago. I'm with the people. What do they want? So that I can protect a bunch of corrupt officials? It will not happen. I made a choice a long time ago: I am with the people! “I spoke out, and things became easier,” concluded the head of state. Sultanbekov responded on November 11, 2019 by stating that he would continue to seek the arrest of Asylbek Jeenbekov.

In the parliamentary elections of 2020, he refused the proposals of the authorities and pro-government parties and was a candidate for deputy in the top ten from the political party Social Democrats.

On October 10, 2020, after the revolution in Kyrgyzstan, he was detained by law enforcement agencies for organizing mass riots and attempting a coup. On October 13, the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek decided to take Temirlan Sultanbekov into custody for two months with the right to indefinitely extend the period of detention. The following spoke in support of Temirlan Sultanbekov: General Secretary of the Socialist International Luis Ayala, Political Party “A Just Russia”, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, politicians Omurbek Babanov, Zhanar Akaev, Irina Karamushkina, Mirlan Zheenchoroev, Almambet Shykmamatov, Altynai Omurbekova, Dastan Bekeshev, Adahan Madumarov, Urmat Dzhanybaev, Klara Sooronkulova and others. Public figures and cultural figures also spoke in support of Sultanbekov: Syimyk Beyshekeev, Mirbek Atabekov, Nazira Aitbekova, Syezbek Iskenaliev, Kairat Primberdiev, Assol Moldokmatova and others.As a result of great public support, within 24 hours Temirlan Sultanbekov was released by decision of the Bishkek City Court.

On October 14, 2020, in the evening, Sultanbekov met with Sadyr Zhaparov and supported him "in order to expel Jeenbekov"

The next day, October 15, 2020, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov resigned.

On May 31, 2021, Asylbek Jeenbekov was detained by law enforcement agencies of Kyrgyzstan on suspicion of corruption.

On June 1, 2021, Temirlan Sultanbekov stated the following:"“All these last three years, I knew that this would happen, I turned to Sooronbai Jeenbekov with statements to help them. But one day he publicly said about me at a press conference that I was telling lies. that his relatives are interfering in power. Now many journalists are calling me, asking for comment. I want to say only one thing: everything that I think about this and about them, I said at one time. Now it would be wrong if I to criticize, it will be biased, because they - the then president, his brother, his staff and a number of other deputies - fought with me, with some 19-year-old boy, fired my parents and other relatives from work, summoned me for interrogation, organized intimidation actions, They mocked and eventually imprisoned them and threatened to torture them. Two years have passed, and now there is no one around them. Where are the brave deputies, the government, the security forces? The main thing is to remain human, the main thing is to always be human!'"

Criminal case on the October events 2020
On October 5-6, 2020, mass rallies of many thousands took place in Kyrgyzstan with the capture of the White House, the State Committee for National Security, the Prosecutor's Office, Parliament and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. One of the leaders of the protests was Temirlan Sultanbekov. On October 9, Temirlan Sultanbekov was detained by law enforcement agencies for organizing mass riots and attempting a coup. On October 13, the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek decided to take Temirlan Sultanbekov into custody for two months with the right to indefinitely extend the period of detention. As a result of great public support, within 24 hours Temirlan Sultanbekov was released by decision of the Bishkek City Court: on October 14, his preventive measure was changed from arrest in a pre-trial detention center to house arrest.

The next day, October 15, Jeenbekov was forced to resign as president as a result of popular unrest. On June 28, 2022, in the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek, the prosecutor asked to sentence Temirlan Sultanbekov to nine years in prison to serve the sentence in a general regime colony.

After leaving the deliberation room, Judge Ubaydulla Satimkulov read out the verdict, according to which Temirlan Sultanbekov was acquitted for lack of evidence of a crime.

Сonstitutional reform and restriction of rights
Raising the age threshold for deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan from 21 to 25 years is associated with the conflict between Sultanbekov and Akylbek Japarov. At that time, Temirlan Sultanbekov was 22 years old. On October 23, 2020, Temirlan Sultanbekov, during a debate with presidential adviser Akylbek Japarov, accused him of corruption and demanded that the money be returned to the state budget. Akylbek Japarov spoke impartially to Sultanbekov.On October 26, 2020, Sultanbekov announced that he refused to be part of the government. According to him, the current government does not have a clear strategy, plans and will to implement major reforms in Kyrgyzstan. According to Sultanbekov, Sadyr Japarov is "already under the influence of a number of people, and today the state is plunging into chaos, lawlessness, dictatorship, corrupt people come to power, the country's Constitution is not respected.” On October 27, 2020, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov said in a video interview that he fired Akylbek Japarov from the post of adviser to the head of state because he spoke impartially to Temirlan Sultanbekov. During the adoption of the new Constitution, Akylbek Japarov proposed an amendment to raise the age threshold for deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh from 21 to 25 years, in order not to let Temirlan Sultanbekov into parliament. The Constitutional Conference rejected Akylbek Japarov's proposal unanimously. However, in the final text of the new Constitution a clause appeared on raising the threshold age for deputies from 21 to 25 years. Temirlan Sultanbekov said in an interview with the media that he spoke with the authorities and tried to negotiate about the inadmissibility of depriving him of the opportunity to participate in the elections, but the negotiations did not lead to success. Temirlan Sultanbekov called Akylbek Japarov a corrupt official and began to demand compensation for financial costs to the state. As a result, as part of a tax evasion case, Akylbek Japarov’s wife paid 28 million soms to the state. Sultanbekov called this the first victory, but noted that this was not enough.

In 2022, during a panel discussion, Uzar Zhylkybaev, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic, admitted and emphasized that raising the age limit to 25 years for parliamentarians was adopted in order to prevent Temirlan Sultanbekov from entering parliament. During the adoption of the new Constitution, Akylbek Zhaparov proposed to amend the age limit for deputies of the JK KR from 21 to 25 years old, Temirlan Sultanbekov was 22 years old.

Chairman of SDK
On February 12, 2021, Temirlan Sultanbekov was elected chairman at the 4th Social Democrats Congress party with the support of ex-president Almazbek Atambayev. In the elections of city councils of deputies under the leadership of Temirlan Sultanbekov, the party passed in a number of cities: Kant (7%), Orlovka (20%), Kemin (8.8%), Shopokov (10%), Kara-Balta (14.5%), Cholpon-Ata (18.7%). The elections in the capital were the most competitive; as a result, the Social Democrats party received 5.4% and did not enter the Bishkek City Council of Deputies. However, the Social Democrats began to hold mass rallies with slogans about the lack of transparency of the elections, bribery of voters and falsification of the results. As a result, for the first time in the history of Kyrgyzstan, the results of the elections to the capital’s parliament were canceled. In the second elections 2 months later, the Social Democrats party received 9% of the votes and entered the Bishkek City Council of Deputies. The media of Kyrgyzstan called the victory of the Social Democrats triumphant.

Social Democratic factions are actively working in regional parliaments and are showing great efficiency and effectiveness. Based on the results of 2022, the Bishkek City Council of Deputies awarded Temirlan Sultanbekov a silver badge of distinction.Under the leadership of Temirlan Sultanbekov, legally independent, but affiliated with the party, youth, women's and environmental organizations were created. They became full members of international organizations. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Social Democrats party interrupted the long-standing traditional foreign policy of Eurasianism and international inter-party cooperation only within the CIS and Asia.

Thus, the Social Democrats party began active interaction with political parties in Europe, with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats faction of the European Parliament. The Social Democrats party was elected to the presidium of the Socialist International, Temirlan Sultanbekov at the congress in November 2022 in Madrid was elected vice-president of the Socialist International, and the head of the Spanish government, leader of the Spanish Workers' Socialist Party Pedro Sanchez, President of the Socialist International.

In June 2023, the youth organization of the party at the IUSY congress in Panama became member of the organization.

In July 2023, at a meeting of the Political Council of the Progressive Alliance in Brussels, it was decided to include the Social Democrats of Kyrgyzstan party in the organization as a full member.