UPDATED Kyrgyzstan: Former President Bakiyev Charged With Mass Killing

UPDATED 27 APRIL: Deposed Kyrgyz leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who is now in Belarus, has been charged in absentia with organising mass killings, according to interim legal chief Azimbek Beknazarov.



"We will seek extradition of Bakiyev to Bishkek and bringing him to criminal responsibility," Mr Beknazarov said. "Kyrgyzstan's law enforcement agencies have already been instructed to request their Belarussian counterparts for Bakiyev's extradition."




UPDATED 21 APRIL: Speaking from Minsk in Belarus, the former Kyrgyz leader declared, "I, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, am the legally elected president of Kyrgyzstan and recognised by the international community."

Bakiyev, calling the provisional government of Roza Otunbayeva an "illegtimate gang", said, "I do not recognise my resignation. Nine months ago the people of Kyrgyzstan elected me their president and there is no power that can stop me. Only death can stop me."

Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the deposed president of Kyrgyzstan has left Kazakhstan four days after he took refuge in the country.

Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Ilyas Omarov told The Associated Press he didn't know where Bakiyev was headed: "He's left Kazakhstan — there are no details on his planned destination'."

Comments

[Arshama]

Scott,

Thank you so much for updating the events in Kyrgyzstan.

Spiegel has posted a video on new unrests in the capital Bishkek, people attacking Russians and members of a Turkish minority, one casualty. Further demonstrations of Bakiyev supporters in Jalalabad and of police officers in Osh, complaining about killed comrades during preceding unrests: http://www.spiegel.de/video/video-1061105.html#oas.videobelegung=news

Arshama

[Catherine]

RE “I, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, am the legally elected president of Kyrgyzstan and recognised by the international community.”

Gee, I thought Bakiyev was already in Venezuela singing the same song with Manuel Zelaya, who Chavez has given a lucrative post as head of a “Political Council” of Venezuelan energy consortium Petrocaribe.
http://en.mercopress.com/2010/03/08/chavez-incorporates-ousted-zelaya-to-his-payroll-through-petrocaribe

And speaking of Venezuala's equal opportunity foreign visitor programme, Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force commandos have been spotted sipping (virgin) daquiris with other paramilitary forces at the Iranian embassy in Caracas in between power point presentations on how to "support extremists and destabilize unfriendly regimes" - that is, if you believe this report in (shudder) The Washington TIMES: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/21/iran-boosts-qods-shock-troops-in-venezuela/