Kyrgyz prosecutor rejects motion to retry jailed opposition leader
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 12 June 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz prosecutor rejects motion to retry jailed opposition leader, 12 June 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc04ef74.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. |
June 12, 2018 14:18 GMT
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
Ata-Meken leader Omurbek Tekebaev appears in court during his trial in August 2017.
BISHKEK – The Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General's Office has rejected a request for a retrial of opposition leader Omurbek Tekebaev, who was sentenced in 2017 to eight years in prison on corruption charges that he denies.
Tekebaev's lawyer, Taalaikul Toktakunova, told RFE/RL on June 12 that the Prosecutor-General's Office said it saw no grounds for a new trial.
Attorneys representing Tekebaev said earlier that they found discrepancies in the case materials justified a retrial.
Tekebaev and his co-defendant, former Emergency Situations Minister Duishonkul Chotonov, were convicted of bribe-taking and sentenced to eight years in prison each in August 2017.
Both denied any wrongdoing.
Tekebaev is the leader of the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party, which said the trial was a politically motivated effort to keep him out of the Central Asian country's October 2017 presidential election.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
