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Kyrgyzstan's former president detained after violent clashes
Earlier LBN thread: One Dead As Kyrgyz Forces Leave Ex-President's Compound, Hostages Freed
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Source: The Guardian
Kyrgyzstan's former president detained after violent clashes
Previous attempt to arrest Almazbek Atambayev led to fighting between soldiers and his supporters
Andrew Roth in Moscow
Thu 8 Aug 2019 15.20 BST First published on Thu 8 Aug 2019 10.32 BST
Police in Kyrgyzstan have detained the former president after violent clashes with his supporters, a day after a previous attempt to arrest him left one police officer dead and nearly 80 people injured.
The violence has raised the threat of fresh turmoil in the former Soviet country, which borders China and hosts a Russian military airbase. There have been two revolutions in Kyrgyzstan since 2005.
Almazbek Atambayev, who was in office from 2011-17, has accused his successor and one-time protege Sooronbai Jeenbekov of fabricating criminal charges against him to stifle criticism. He urged his supporters to demonstrate in the capital, Bishkek, on Thursday to demand Jeenbekov’s resignation.
Footage from Atambayev’s compound on the outskirts of Bishkek showed fighting between soldiers and his supporters on Wednesday evening. At one point, soldiers picked up rocks and threw them at protesters as fires raged. Photographs appeared to show several injured troops captured by Atambayev’s supporters.
-snip-
Previous attempt to arrest Almazbek Atambayev led to fighting between soldiers and his supporters
Andrew Roth in Moscow
Thu 8 Aug 2019 15.20 BST First published on Thu 8 Aug 2019 10.32 BST
Police in Kyrgyzstan have detained the former president after violent clashes with his supporters, a day after a previous attempt to arrest him left one police officer dead and nearly 80 people injured.
The violence has raised the threat of fresh turmoil in the former Soviet country, which borders China and hosts a Russian military airbase. There have been two revolutions in Kyrgyzstan since 2005.
Almazbek Atambayev, who was in office from 2011-17, has accused his successor and one-time protege Sooronbai Jeenbekov of fabricating criminal charges against him to stifle criticism. He urged his supporters to demonstrate in the capital, Bishkek, on Thursday to demand Jeenbekov’s resignation.
Footage from Atambayev’s compound on the outskirts of Bishkek showed fighting between soldiers and his supporters on Wednesday evening. At one point, soldiers picked up rocks and threw them at protesters as fires raged. Photographs appeared to show several injured troops captured by Atambayev’s supporters.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/08/kyrgyzstan-ex-president-almazbek-atambayev
1 replies
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