The ousted president of Kyrgyzstan has been charged with organising mass killings in the deadly uprising that forced him from office in this Central Asian country earlier this month.Azimbek Beknazarov, a vice-premier of the opposition forces that claimed provisional control of the country said today that Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who is in exile in Belarus, will have his presidential immunity stripped to face the Kyrgyz charges, which also include abuse of power. Bakiyev fled the capital on the 7th of this month after security forces fired on protesters and the demonstrators stormed government buildings. At least 85 people died in the violence.He tried to rally support in his home region in Kyrgyzstan's south, but eventually fled the country and surfaced last week in Belarus.Beknazarov said Belarus is obliged to extradite Bakiyev under an agreement among former Soviet countries.There was no immediate reaction from Belarus, whose President, Alexander Lukashenko, has criticized the demonstrations that drove out Bakiyev.Bakiyev insists he is still Kyrgyzstan's legitimate president, but has vowed not to return to the country as its leader.
News On AIR | April 27, 2010 6:00 PM
Ousted Kyrgyz Prez is charged with organizing mass killings