Prague, 19 May 1997 (RFE/RL) -- A new trial against opposition Kyrgyz journalist Yrysbek Omurzakov opened in Bishkek today.
Our RFE/RL correspondent in Bishkek reports Yrysbek Omurzakov, a journalist with the opposition Res Publica weekly, is accused of insulting a factory director, Mikhail Paryshkura in an article published in January.
Omurzakov, who has been in police custody since March 24, was given a two-year suspended sentence last year after being found guilty of insulting President Askar Akayev. The case prompted international indignation with Amnesty International calling Omurzakov a prisoner of conscience.