Interview: Former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev
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In an interview with RFE/RL's Belarus Service, Kyrgyzstan's former President Kurmanbek Bakiev recounted the circumstances of his 2010 ouster, which he described as "an armed coup," and his flight to Belarus. Bakiev said that Barack Obama, Dmitry Medvedev, and Vladimir Putin were all involved in securing his safety. Bakiev was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2010 uprising, but received political asylum in Belarus.