BISHKEK -- A court Kyrgyzstan has sentenced a prominent opposition leader for two months on corruption charges pending his trial, security services said Monday (February 27), after two days of protests.
A statement from the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) said Omurbek Tekebayev had been charged with corruption and would be "held until April 25" at a GKNB penitentiary facility.
The arrest of Tekebayev following his arrival at the main airport early Sunday (February 26) triggered a snap protest in the capital Bishkek that peaked at a thousand strong.
A smaller protest of about 500 people took place in the city Monday, calling on President Almazbek Atambayev to release Tekebayev.
