Bishkek Asks Belarus To Arrest Brother Of Ousted President

Janysh Bakiev was reportedly seen in Belarus last week.

Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry has said it has officially asked authorities in Belarus to arrest and extradite Janysh Bakiev, a brother of ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev, whose photo allegedly taken in Minsk last week has been circulating on the Internet.

The ministry said in a statement that "a verbal message has been sent to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry" demanding Janysh Bakiev's arrest and extradition to Bishkek.

Kurmanbek Bakiev fled Kyrgyzstan in the wake of antigovernment protests in April 2010 and has been living in Belarus since then.

The ousted president, his brother Janysh, and more than 20 former associates are being tried in absentia in connection with the deaths of nearly 100 people when security forces fired on protesters during the upheaval.

Belarus has refused to extradite the ex-president.