The alleged killer of Medet Sadyrkulov has been found dead in his prison cell, AKIpress reports. A former Bakiyev confidant and chief-of-staff, Sadyrkulov was killed in a fiery, late-night car accident last March. He was returning to Bishkek from Almaty, where he reportedly met with opposition members.
Police said Omurbek Osmonov crashed into Sadyrkulov’s car. The ensuing fire burned the bodies of Sadyrkulov, his driver, and policy adviser Sergei Slepchenko beyond recognition. Mysteriously, Sadyrkulov's driver was found in the passenger seat. Forensic investigators later confirmed their identities.
Further fueling rumor, the car was found on a road far from the Almaty-Bishkek route.
Osomonov, who was serving a 12-year sentence for the deaths, was found with 11 stab wounds on April 17, his lawyer said. At the time of his arrest and confession, many thought he was a pawn in an elaborate cover up.
As we reported last year:
Opposition politicians say the suspicious circumstances surrounding Sadyrkulov’s death suggest that he was likely the victim of a political assassination.
Sadyrkulov, who was known as "the gray cardinal" of Kyrgyz politics, resigned as chief-of-staff in January. Opposition leaders said he had been planning to support their campaign to remove Bakiyev from office.
Roza Otunbaeva, deputy head of the Social Democratic Party, is among those who suspect foul play caused Sadyrkulov’s death. "Three bodies were found in passenger seats and driver seat was empty," she said in interview with EurasiaNet. "For us [in the opposition], it says somebody drove the car to the scene and probably the passengers were [already] dead. What’s more, the fuel tank was intact and the car shouldn’t have burned like it did. There are many questions."
Now, many in Bishkek fear former regime members and criminal elements are using the chaos following the April 7 uprising to settle old scores.
David Trilling is Eurasianet’s managing editor.
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