Ex-president Atambayev violated constitution by resisting arrest, says Kyrgyz leader

Former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has brazenly violated the constitution by putting up ruthless armed resistance to his detention, Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov told the national Security Council meeting on Thursday.

"Atambayev trampled the constitution and the laws of the Kyrgyz Republic," Jeenbekov’s press service quotes him as saying. The president pointed out that Kyrgyzstan is a "state governed by the rule of law." "The state is committed to ensure rigorous law observance by all the citizens," he stated.

According to the press service, the leader addressed the members of the Security Council, stressing "the need to do everything possible to preserve lawfulness, peace and security in the country, which warrants taking urgent measures."

On Wednesday, the special forces of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security attempted to detain Atambayev in his residence in Koi-Tash village but failed. The supporters of the former president were guarding the residence and managed to repel the attack, disarming the special forces officers and capturing six of them. Clashes between the police forces that were additionally dispatched to the site and Atambayev’s supporters ensued in Koi-Tash. One special forces officer died, more than 50 were injured.