All news

Kyrgyz speaker demands that Belarus extradite Bakiyev relatives

Minsk officials believe that in his home country Zhanybek Bakiyev will be prosecuted “for political reasons”

UNITED NATIONS, September 28 (Itar-Tass) — Bishkek demands from Belarus the fulfilment of its international obligations and the extradition of Kyrgyzstan’s former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev who has taken refuge in the country. This statement was made on Thursday by speaker of the parliament of Kyrgyzstan Asylbek Jeenbekov at the 67th session of the UN General Assembly.

“We still hope that the authorities of Belarus that is an ally of Kyrgyzstan within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and that assumed obligations under the provisions of the Minsk and Chisinau Conventions, will show their commitment to international legal obligations and extradite the relatives and confidants of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev who are hiding in its territory and even have Belarusian passports,” the speaker said.

Official Bishkek has repeatedly demanded from Minsk extradition of Bakiyev’s relatives, but has not yet used for this purpose the United Nations rostrum. Addressing the audience in the hall, Asylbek Jeenbekov stressed that “the former Kyrgyz leadership and its entourage” are persecuted “not on politically motivated charges,” but “are accused of specific criminal acts.” “They gave the order to use firearms against civilians, to liquidate unwanted people, they were robbing their own people and the country’s budget and took out of Kyrgyzstan huge financial assets,” said the parliament speaker.

“Justice and unavoidability of punishment are important in such matters, in order to teach other leaders not to do so,” Jeenbekov said, adding that the perpetrators should be put to trial “in strict accordance with the legislation of Kyrgyzstan.”

Former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev fled the country after the April 2010 revolution. Many of his relatives have taken refuge abroad, as well as persons who held high positions in the state, including his brother – ex-head of the State Guard Service Zhanybek Bakiyev, who issued the order to shoot at the participants in a rally of opposition supporters in central Bishkek 2.5 years ago. As a result, 87 people were killed and hundreds wounded.

The Bakiyev brothers, as it later turned out, moved out of the country and stayed in the territory of Belarus. Minsk officials believe that in his home country the former head of the State Guard Service will be prosecuted “for political reasons,” so Belarus has refused to extradite him to Kyrgyzstan.