Gunfire heard at rally in southern Kyrgyzstan where deposed president was speaking

Gunfire heard at Bakiyev rally in Kyrgyzstan

OSH, Kyrgyzstan — Gunfire broke out Thursday at a rally where the deposed president of Kyrgyzstan was speaking to supporters. Kurmanbek Bakiyev was quickly hustled into a car and driven away from the scene, and there were no apparent injuries in the crowd.

One of Bakiyev’s brothers, Kanybek, told The Associated Press that the president was uninjured and was returning to his home in the village of Teyit, about a two-hour drive from the rally site.

The gunfire crackled out seconds after Bakiyev began speaking to the crowd of about 5,000 in Osh, the largest city in the southern region that is Bakiyev’s support base.

After fleeing the capital last week, Bakiyev in recent days has made a series of public appearances, clearly testing how much support he has to try to resist the interim authorities who have taken control in the capital.

It was unclear who fired the shots or if they were aimed into the air or at rally participants.

Bakiyev was driven out of the capital on April 7 after a protest rally boiled over into gunfire; protesters then stormed government buildings. At least 83 people died in the violence.

Bakiyev has said he would be willing to resign if security guarantees were given to him and close relatives. The interim authorities have offered him such guarantees but have refused them for family members.

They also say Bakiyev would have to leave the country or face prosecution; his opponents blame him both for last week’s violence and for alleged widespread corruption.

Bakiyev has shown no signs of willingness to leave Kyrgyzstan, and no country has stepped forward publicly with offers of shelter.