A court in Kyrgyzstan has begun hearing the trial of the exiled former president on charges he ordered the deadly shooting of a crowd of demonstrators.
Almost 90 people were killed during street violence in April that led to the overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who has since fled to Belarus.
Hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday outside a makeshift court in the capital of the Central Asian nation calling for retribution against Bakiyev and 27 other former officials on trial for involvement in the attempt to suppress the uprising. Prosecutors say Bakiyev ordered troops to open fire on the protesters.
Defence lawyers are asking for 40 days' postponement to better prepare for the trial.