Kyrgyzstan: Interpol Refuses Bakiyev Warrant Request

In the hunt for Kurmanbek Bakiyev and his hated brother, Kyrgyzstan is now officially on its own, 24.kg reports. 

Several times, Bishkek has turned to Interpol to help apprehend and extradite former president Bakiyev, his security chief brother Janysh, and a few others. They are accused of abusing office and shooting protesters during their bloody ouster last April. As they clung to power, over 80 people died in Bishkek’s main square. Kurmanbek has since taken up residence in Belarus, where the government of Alexander Lukashenko has refused Bishkek’s repeated extradition requests.

In a letter to the Kyrgyz prosecutor general, Interpol officials suggest the Bakiyev pursuit is politically motivated and said they would not interfere in a country’s internal political affairs. 

It is unclear how 24.kg obtained the letter.

Interpol does want Kurmanbek’s notorious son, Maxim, however. Maxim is thought to be hiding in Britain, where he has reportedly applied for asylum. 

Back in Bishkek, the Bakiyevs are being prosecuted in absentia for the April 7 bloodshed. Plagued by irregularities, the emotional -- and at times violent -- trial has led legal observers and human rights activists to conclude that no country which respects due process would extradite the clan back to their homeland.