Kyrgyzstan has officially appointed a new head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS). Members of the Jogorku Kenesh unanimously supported Maksat Asanaliev's candidacy for the post, reports infohub.kz.
According to 24.kg, the decision was made at a parliament session on September 2. Earlier, the relevant committee on judicial and legal matters, law and order, crime control, and anti-corruption agreed to release Asanaliev from his duties as Prosecutor General, and deputies also unanimously approved that decision.
Maksat Asanaliev was born on March 24, 1978, in the village of Kara-Koo in the Issyk-Kul region. He graduated from the law faculty of Kyrgyz National University. He began his career in state security bodies, working as an investigator and senior investigator for particularly important cases at the SCNS. Later, he held leadership positions in the prosecutor's office and law enforcement agencies. In 2024, he was appointed Prosecutor General of Kyrgyzstan, and in June of this year, he became acting head of the SCNS.
In professional circles, Asanaliev is known for his tough working style and principled stance in investigating high-profile criminal cases.
It will be recalled that in February this year, Kamchybek Tashiev was relieved of his duties as Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Chairman of the SCNS. Tashiev later admitted that he did not expect his dismissal. President Sadyr Japarov explained the reasons for the resignation and also initiated the creation of the State Protection Service under the president. In addition, Japarov appealed to the Constitutional Court for clarification of norms on early presidential elections, after which the Speaker of Parliament, Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, voluntarily resigned.
Soon, reports emerged of Tashiev's return to Kyrgyzstan, and Japarov stated that the former SCNS head would never return to state service. The president also ruled out the possibility of a coup and stressed the inadmissibility of dividing the country into north and south. After Tashiev, the post of SCNS head was temporarily held by Zhumgalbek Shabdanbekov.