Kyrgyzstan’s first two presidents after independence were both driven from office by riots.
Moscow: Police in Kyrgyzstan detained the nation’s former president on Thursday following violent clashes with his supporters, a day after a previous attempt to arrest him left one policeman dead and nearly 80 people injured.
The violence raised the threat of a new round of turmoil in the former Soviet nation, which borders China and hosts a Russian military air base. Kyrgyzstan’s first two presidents after independence were both driven from office by riots.
Almazbek Atambayev, who was in office from 2011 to 2017, accused his successor and one-time protege Sooronbai Jeenbekov of fabricating false criminal charges against him to stifle criticism. He urged his supporters to rally in the capital, Bishkek, to demand Jeenbekov’s resignation.
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