Former leader denies part in Kyrg violence

MINSK, Belarus, June 23 (UPI) -- The former president of Kyrgyzstan, accused of initiating deadly riots in the country, in turn blames drug dealers and religious extremists for the violence.

Kurmanbek Bakiyev, ousted as president during opposition protests in April and now in exile in Belarus, has strongly denied any connection to the riots between ethnic Kyrgyz and minority Uzbeks that broke out in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh on June 11, RIA Novosti said.

Instead, he said, criminal elements and religious fanatics are responsible.

"We can talk about people involved in drug dealing, as well as about religious extremists, of which there are lots both in Kyrgyzstan's north and south," Bakiyev said.

He would not participate in Kyrgyzstan politics "in any way," Bakiyev said.

The Kyrgyz interim authorities have asked Belarus to extradite Bakiyev, RIA Novosti reported.

Human Rights Watch said in a release Wednesday it is urging the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to act on Kyrgyz government requests for assistance by deploying a security assistance mission to the country.

"People in Kyrgyzstan need urgent protection, and the OSCE is uniquely placed to provide it," Veronika Szente Goldston, HRW Europe and Central Asia advocacy director, said.