Kyrgyz police question former Osh mayor
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 11 March 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz police question former Osh mayor, 11 March 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/534d2e8411.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 11, 2014
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
Melis Myrzakmatov (file photo)
OSH, Kyrgyzstan – The former mayor of Kyrgyzstan's southern city of Osh, Melis Myrzakmatov, has been questioned by police in connection with illegal rallies.
Osh city police spokesman Zamir Sydykov told RFE/RL that Myrzakmatov was interrogated on March 11 as a witness in investigations of two unsanctioned antigovernment protests in Osh.
In December, thousands of supporters of arrested former parliament speaker Akmatbek Keldibekov, charged with abuse of office, stormed the city administration office, demanding his release.
In mid-January, after Myrzakmatov lost a mayoral election, some 10,000 of his supporters who believed the vote was rigged tried to storm the city administration and clashed with police.
Myrzakmatov, who presided over Osh during deadly ethnic clashes in 2010, was sacked in December in a decree issued by Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiev.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
