Kyrgyzstan to demand ousted President Bakiyev`s extradition again
Kyrgyz authorities will demand again the extradition of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev from Belarus, a senior interim government official said Wednesday.
"Belarus earlier refused to extradite Bakiyev citing the fact that the interim [Kyrgyz] government was not legitimate, but we have recently held a referendum and now our President [Roza] Otunbayeva and state bodies, including the Prosecutor General`s Office, are legitimate," Vice-President Azimbek Beknazarov said.
"We want to send the extradition request [to Belarus] again," he told a news conference in the country`s capital of Bishkek.
The referendum on a new constitution, which was held on June 27, was a major part of the plans of the interim authorities in Kyrgyzstan to return the country to democratic rule. The government, led by Otunbayeva, came to power amid April`s large-scale opposition protests, which overthrew Bakiyev. The ousted president has since taken refuge in Belarus.
The country`s interim government has requested the former president`s extradition and accused him of ordering the shooting of civilians during the conflict as well as abuse of power and corruption during his leadership. Bakiyev has denied the claims.
The ousted president and his relatives have also been accused of instigating the recent clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and minority Uzbeks in the south of Kyrgyzstan, Bakiyev`s former stronghold. The interim government says the death toll from the unrest could be as high as 2,000.
|
