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| Eighty held in Kyrgyzstan over political slaying | |
| 2005-09-28 | |
| BISHKEK - Eighty people have been held in Kyrgyzstan over the killing of Bayaman Erkinbayev, a top lawmaker and key figure in the Central Asian stateâs popular revolution, the interior minister said on Tuesday. âA special operation by law enforcement forces has resulted in the detaining of 80 people in connection with this inquiry,â Kyrgyz Interior Minister Murat Sutalinov told a press conference. He said Erkinbayev had written a letter before his death naming people he suspected of wanting to assassinate him.
A controversial figure and influential businessman in this ex-Soviet state, Erkinbayev helped finance and provide manpower for the popular revolution that toppled the regime of veteran president Askar Akayev in March. Shortly before he was killed, Erkinbayev had accused the countryâs secret services and the entourage of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev of trying to wrest a large market in southern Kyrgyzstan from his control. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |