Brother of ex-Kyrgyz president Bakiyev dies in Uzbekistan – media

Ahmat Bakiyev, the brother of former Kyrgyzstan president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, has died in Uzbekistan, local media reported. The news was first published on April 13 by Sputnik Kyrgyzstan, citing its sources.

According to the report, his body is expected to be transported to the Jalal-Abad region for burial. He will reportedly be laid to rest in his native village of Masadan (Teyit).

According to 24.kg, Bakiyev had been living in Uzbekistan in recent years. It was also reported that he had been ill for a prolonged period. The exact cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

For reference, Ahmat Bakiyev was the younger brother of Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Following the April 2010 revolution, he became involved in a number of criminal cases. In 2012, a court found him guilty of organizing mass unrest. He was sentenced to imprisonment and was serving his term in a settlement colony. He later left the facility and, according to law enforcement authorities, disappeared. Since then, media reports suggested he had been outside Kyrgyzstan and was placed on a wanted list. His whereabouts had not been officially disclosed in recent years.

Kurmanbek Bakiyev came to power in 2005 following the Tulip Revolution, after the resignation of the country’s first president, Askar Akayev. In April 2010, mass protests erupted in the country, leading to clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in the capital, Bishkek. Dozens of people were killed near the presidential residence, known as the White House. Bakiyev was later found guilty in connection with the events and sentenced in absentia to 30 years in prison. He is currently residing in Belarus.