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Demonstration held in Bishkek to support detained Kyrgyz opposition leader

Xinhua, February 28, 2017 Adjust font size:

Supporters of a detained opposition leader held a demonstration here on Monday to call for his release, the Bishkek police department said.

Around noon, the supporters of Omurbek Tekebayev, the detained parliament member of Kyrgyz parliament and the leader of the opposition Ata-Meken party, started to gathered in the center of Bishkek, where the Kyrgyz presidential office and the parliament building is located nearby.

According to the organizers, there were about 500 protesters in the gathering, demanding the release of Tekebayev.

A protest was also held in the hometown of Tekebayev in Bazar-Korgon region of Jalal-Abad oblast, which is in the south of the country.

Tekebayev, 58, was detained early Sunday at Manas international airport upon his arrival from Istanbul of Turkey and was taken into custody for 48 hours. After 48 hours, the court will adopt a preventive measure against the detainee.

The Public Prosecutor's Office initiated a criminal case against Tekebayev on Saturday for accepting 1 million U.S. dollar bribe from a Russian investor in 2010 in a take-over deal concerning a local telecommunications company. Endit