Trial for former Kyrgyz president delayed

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A trial for deposed Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on charges of stoking violence was postponed to Wednesday, authorities said.

Authorities in Bishkek told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the trial, set for Monday, was pushed back by two days to make room for observers.

More than 1,000 witnesses, relatives and journalists were expected to attend the trial in absentia for the former leader, who was ousted in an April coup.

Authorities accuses 28 people are using illegal force on anti-government forces during the April violence that brought Roza Otunbayeva to power. Six leaders on trial fled the country in the wake of the coup.

Bakiyev fled his stronghold in southern Kyrgyzstan to Belarus shortly after being run out of office.

The interim government accuses Bakiyev of stoking ethnic tensions in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were displaced in conflicts between the Uzbek and Kyrgyz communities following the coup.

Members of the Bakiyev family face similar charges by the interim government. Atu-Jurt, a party supporting Bakiyev, won national elections last month, though the deposed leader said he has no plans to return home.