Bakiyev’s status in Belarus is still kept secret

The Internal Affairs Ministry does not comment on the question whether the fugitive ruler of Kyrgyzstan asked for asylum in the country.

The head of the Citizenship and migration department of the Internal Affairs Ministry of Belarus Alyaksei Byahun refused to disclose whether Kurmanbek Bakiyev addressed competent authorities claiming political asylum, Interfax reports.

“The Constitution of Belarus guarantees non-disclosure of information when a citizen of a different country asks for asylum. To disclose this information sanction of this person is needed, that is why I cannot say whether Bakiyev claimed political asylum and at which stage this issue is now,” Byahun said at a press-conference in Minsk on Thursday.

Since late April 2010 Kurmanbek Bakiyev stays in Belarus. The General Prosecutor’s office of Belarus has dismissed the Kyrgyz side’s req2uest to extradite Bakiyev, as no legal grounds had been found for that.

In Kyrgyzstan a criminal action was opened against Bakiyev on charges relating a number of articles of the Criminal Code, including “mass murder”, which was sanctioned on April 7 during clashes of the opposition with law-enforcement structures.