Kyrgyz lawmakers vote to lift immunity of former president Almazbek Atambayev

In Kyrgyzstan, lawmakers have voted to lift the immunity of a former president, paving the way for a prosecution that could provoke a political crisis in the Central Asian state.

Prosecutors accuse 62-year-old Almazbek Atambayev of making illegal



land purchases and of corruption, but he enjoyed immunity from criminal prosecution as a former head of state.

Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted 103 to six in favour of lifting that protection.