BISHKEK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th August, 2019) It is calm in central Bishkek early on Friday after a rally held by supporters of former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev was dispersed there, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
On Thursday, around 500 people gathered outside the parliament building in the Kyrgyz capital in the wake of Atambayev's detention. Security forces subsequently dispersed the protesters and the police said that the situation was under their control.
The situation on Ala-Too Square outside the parliament and the mayor's office and nearby streets is currently calm, the Sputnik correspondent reported. There are either no police officers or groups of protesters in the area.
The situation involving the ex-president escalated as on Wednesday, when security forces attempted to storm his house in the village of Koy Tash, located 12 miles away from Bishkek. The law enforcement sought to detain the ex-president, who has been refusing to obey subpoena on corruption suspicions. The situation turned violent as Atambayev's supporters fought back, preventing him from being detained.
On Thursday, the storming operation continued and Atambayev surrendered to the authorities as the violent clashes between the law enforcement and his supporters resumed.
The former leader was then taken to the capital to be brought into the country's Interior Ministry's main investigative department for questioning.
A parliamentary committee has concluded that Atambayev, who served as the president of Kyrgyzstan from December 2011 to November 2017, has been implicated in abuse of power, corruption, forgery and other crimes.
Atambayev has denied the allegations and accused the security officers of attacking their compatriots.
