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Prosecutor general dodges question about reasons for refusal to extradite Bakiyev to Kyrgyzstan

Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich, at a news conference on June 23, refused to speak about the reasons for Belarus' decision to reject an extradition request for ousted Kyrgyz leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev, as quoted by BelaPAN.

"We have found no legal grounds to approve the request," he said in a terse reply.

Mr. Bakiyev has been staying in Belarus since April 19. He fled Kyrgyzstan after being overthrown amid violent clashes between government troops and demonstrators in early April.

The interim authorities in Kyrgyzstan want the former president to stand trial for allegedly sanctioning gunfire on a crowd of protesters that left more than 80 people dead.

On May 21, Minsk received a formal request for his extradition and an 18-page attachment from Bishkek. The request was turned down in June.

In an interview with Reuters in early May, Alyaksandr Lukashenka made it clear that he would reject an extradition request for Mr. Bakiyev. “Such a request would be hopeless and humiliating for the interim government [in Kyrgyzstan],” he said. “The president of Kyrgyzstan is under the protection of the Belarusian state and its president.”