Bishkek Court Acquits Opposition Lawmakers

A Kyrgyz court has acquitted three lawmakers from the opposition Ata-Jurt (Fatherland) party who had been convicted of an attempt to seize power.

The Bishkek city court on June 17 ordered their immediate release.

Kamchybek Tashiev, Sadyr Japarov, and Talant Mamytov were sentenced in March to prison terms of between one year and 18 months for the alleged coup attempt.

All three were arrested in October for their role in violent antigovernment protests.

Prosecutors had asked the court to give them prison sentences of between nine and 10 years.

During the court session, supporters of the opposition lawmakers rioted, throwing plastic bottles and shoes at the judge and the prosecutor and demanding the defendants' immediate acquittal.

The judge initially had said he would announce his decision on June 24.


With reporting by Interfax