SUZAK, Kyrgyzstan -- A court in Kyrgyzstan's southern Jalal-Abad region has sentenced former President Kurmanbek Bakiev's brother, Janysh Bakiev, to life in prison in absentia.
The Suzak District Court found Janysh Bakiev guilty of organizing a bank robbery in 2005 during the mass disorder that toppled President Askar Akaev and brought Kurmanbek Bakiev to power.
The court originally sentenced Janysh Bakiev to 18 years in jail for that crime. But after taking into account the fact that in February he had been sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia for involvement in a 2009 political assassination, the court ruled that his cumulative sentence would be life in prison.
Janysh Bakiev fled Kyrgyzstan in April 2010 following his brother's ouster after mass antigovernment demonstrations. His current whereabouts are unknown.
The Suzak District Court found Janysh Bakiev guilty of organizing a bank robbery in 2005 during the mass disorder that toppled President Askar Akaev and brought Kurmanbek Bakiev to power.
The court originally sentenced Janysh Bakiev to 18 years in jail for that crime. But after taking into account the fact that in February he had been sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia for involvement in a 2009 political assassination, the court ruled that his cumulative sentence would be life in prison.
Janysh Bakiev fled Kyrgyzstan in April 2010 following his brother's ouster after mass antigovernment demonstrations. His current whereabouts are unknown.
