(27 Feb 2017) A court in Kyrgyzstan has ordered a prominent opposition leader to be kept in custody on fraud and corruption charges that his supporters see as politically driven.
The State Committee for National Security, or GKNB, said in a statement that the court ruled Monday Omurbek Tekebayev should stay in jail for two months pending an official probe.
Tekebayev's supporters continued their protest in the capital Bishkek until late on Monday to demand his release.
They gathered around Manas Statue in the central square in Bishkek and headed to the Kyrgyz White House before returning to the Ala-Too Square again.
Tekebayev, the leader of the opposition Ata Meken party, was arrested early Sunday after returning from Vienna.
Critics of the government see Tekebayev's arrest as part of efforts to muzzle dissent ahead of November's presidential elections.
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