BISHKEK -- A court in the Kyrgyz city of Balykchi has released former Deputy Mayor Taalaybek Mederkulov from jail upon the start of his trial.
Mederkulov, who is accused of financial misdeeds when he served as deputy mayor, will remain under house arrest.
His lawyers told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service that the charges against him are politically motivated.
Mederkulov's lawyers say the authorities are trying to put pressure on his brother, former Foreign Minister Alikbek Jekshenkulov, a leading member of the opposition For Justice movement, by prosecuting Mederkulov.
Jekshenkulov has been officially accused of involvement in the murder of a Turkish businessman and has been held in a Bishkek detention center since March 7. He denies the charges.