Thirty-two people continued holding protest hunger strikes in Kyrgyzstan on 15 October demanding to release former vice president of the country Feliks Kulov. According to chairman of the Human Rights Movement of Kyrgyzstan Tursunbek Akunov, eight of them keep hunger strikes in capital Bishkek, ten in the Alamedin district of the neighboring Chui Province, five in the Bazar-Korgon district of the southern Jalal-Abad Province, five in Jalal-Abad town, and four people in Osh City, center of the southern Osh Province. Hunger strikes began in Bishkek on 8 October.
The three political parties and the Institute for Human Rights and Civil Liberties made a joint statement in Bishkek on 15 October condemning a court ruling against Kulov, taken on 11 October. According to them, it was evidence that the President Askar Akayev's regime becomes more repressive and demanded Akayev to resign. Leaders of the Asaba (Banner), Erkindik (Liberty) and Republican parties signed the statement.
The Bishkek City Court upheld on 11 October a ruling taken by a district court of the city on 8 May, which sentenced Kulov to 10 years of imprisonment convicting him of embezzlement in 1993-1997, when he was governor of the Chui Province. Kulov was serving already another term when was sentenced again, the Bishkek City military court sentenced him on 22 January 2001 to seven years of imprisonment, convicting him of power abuse when he was the minister of national security in 1997-1998. Opposition believes the both trials were politically motivated to take Kulov away from the political scene.
The three political parties and the Institute for Human Rights and Civil Liberties made a joint statement in Bishkek on 15 October condemning a court ruling against Kulov, taken on 11 October. According to them, it was evidence that the President Askar Akayev's regime becomes more repressive and demanded Akayev to resign. Leaders of the Asaba (Banner), Erkindik (Liberty) and Republican parties signed the statement.
The Bishkek City Court upheld on 11 October a ruling taken by a district court of the city on 8 May, which sentenced Kulov to 10 years of imprisonment convicting him of embezzlement in 1993-1997, when he was governor of the Chui Province. Kulov was serving already another term when was sentenced again, the Bishkek City military court sentenced him on 22 January 2001 to seven years of imprisonment, convicting him of power abuse when he was the minister of national security in 1997-1998. Opposition believes the both trials were politically motivated to take Kulov away from the political scene.