Kyrgyzstan: Opposition Leader Arrested in Murder Probe

Criminal charges against Alikbek Jekshenkulov, a former foreign minister and prominent Kyrgyz opposition figure, are piling up following his March 9 arrest in connection with a murder two years ago. Government critics contend the charges are politically motivated.

Jekshenkulov, the leader of the For Justice Movement, remains in police custody. Forensic evidence has linked a gun registered in his name to the murder of a Turkish citizen, Servet Cetin, in December 2007 in Talas, according to a Ministry of Internal Affairs statement.

On March 5, the state prosecutor's office charged Jekshenkulov with abuse of power during his tenure as foreign minister, which lasted from late 2005 to early 2007. Authorities have also opened separate investigations into his son and brother.

Jekshenkulov's son, Bekkul, is wanted in connection with the murder of journalist Alisher Saipov in Osh in 2007. It is alleged that bullets from the same Makarov pistol recovered during a brawl at a Bishkek nightclub were fired from the gun used to murder Saipov. Police now say the gun used during at the incident at the X.O. nightclub, February 2008, belonged to Alikbek Jekshenkulov, Kyrgyz news agency AKIpress reported March 9.