Global General

Kyrgyz authorities detain brother of ousted president

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-22 16:06
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BISHKEK - Kyrgyz authorities said Thursday they had detained a brother of ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev on suspicion of involvement in violent conflicts that killed 300 people in southern Kyrgyzstan last month.

Akhmat Bakiyev was detained in the southern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday night in a special operation and would be flown to the capital, Bishkek, the interim government said in a statement.

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"During the first interrogation, Akhmat Bakiyev began to confess his involvement in the recent mass disorder in the south of the republic," the statement said.

Kyrgyzstan's interim government has ordered a national commission to investigate the violence.

Interim leader Roza Otunbayeva has signed the order to launch the investigation by the commission, which would include social activists, journalists and representatives from security departments, according to the press office of the interim government.

The commission is scheduled to submit its findings on September 10.

According to official figures, 293 people were killed and some 1,900 injured in the violence, which tore apart Osh and nearby Jalalabad.

Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who is in exile in Belarus, has denied involvement in the unrest, blaming the interim government for not "mobilizing necessary resources and localizing the conflict."