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Coup was staged by armed bandits in Bishkek, says ousted Kyrgyz leader

Ousted Kyrgyz leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev has branded the violent uprising that overthrew him earlier this month as a coup d’etat staged by armed bandits, as quoted by BelaPAN.

“Police officers had been handcuffed to cars and dragged through the city,” Mr. Bakiyev said at a news conference held in Minsk on Friday.

“And nobody knows even today how many of them were killed and buried there,” he said. “It happened on April 6. On April 7, we sent police cadets there to ensure that the public peace was not violated and the road remained open. The cadets were beaten. Policemen were injured by stones, beaten with sticks and batons. Tear gas was used against protesters, but this was in vein. Rubber bullets were used, but this was also in vein.”

He said that police opened fire at protesters attempting to assault the presidential administration’s building only after a sniper had taken shots at a window of his office and protesters had seized an armed personnel vehicle of security forces to attack the White House in Bishkek.

The violent uprising in Kyrgyzstan left more than 80 people dead and swept President Kurmanbek Bakiyev from power. The ousted leader earlier this week took refuge in Belarus where he said that he still remained the president of his country.