Some 30 human rights and youth activists rallied today in Bishkek to demand the release of detained opposition members, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Among those detained following violence at recent rallies in Kyrgyzstan are opposition leaders Omurbek Subanaliev and Omurbek Abdyrakmanov. Also being held is Adilet Aitikeev, the head of the Kanjar opposition youth movement.
In the Karabuura district of the northern Talas region, about 300 of Subanaliev's supporters also demonstrated today. Reports say the protest ended without any violence.
Meanwhile, visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said the credibility of Kyrgyzstan's judiciary remains a concern.
"I think the entire investigative process [in Kyrgyzstan] has to be brought under judicial review by a trustworthy, professional and independent judiciary," Arbour said.
After Kyrgyzstan, Arbour is scheduled to visit Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. She does not plan to visit Uzbekistan during her tour of former Soviet republics in Central Asia.
Arbour says she was told by the Uzbek government that a date proposed for her to visit Uzbekistan was "not convenient."
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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