MOSCOW — A court in Kyrgyzstan has ordered the Central Asian nation’s ex-president to remain in custody pending trial on corruption charges.
The arrest of Almazbek Atambayev sparked two days of riots that left one policeman dead and over 100 people injured.
Atambayev, who was in office from 2011 to 2017, has been stripped of his immunity from prosecution he enjoyed as a former president and faces a slew of charges, including corruption and the expropriation of property.
He dismissed the accusations as an “absurd” attempt by his ex-protege, current President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, to silence a critical voice. Atambayev’s supporters foiled the first attempt by police to arrest him Wednesday, but police managed to overcome their resistance the following day.
Police also dispersed over 1,000 Atambayev supporters in the capital late Thursday.
The Associated Press
