A Bishkek court has extended pretrial detention until late April for 26 Kyrgyz rights activists, opposition politicians, and journalists who were arrested in October for challenging a controversial border deal with Uzbekistan. The Birinchi Mai district court pronounced its ruling regarding the group's five female members on February 17. The decisions on the others were made on February 15-16. Four people in the case will stay under house arrest; others will remain in custody. They are accused of planning riots over a Kyrgyz-Uzbek border agreement that handed a disputed water reservoir to Uzbekistan. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Detention Of Kyrgyz Activists, Journalists For Protesting Uzbek Border Deal Extended
Central Election Commission member Gulnara Jurabaeva appears in court in Bishkek on February 17.