BISHKEK (TASS) — A total of 139 people have sought medical assistance after riots in Kyrgyzstan on August 7-8, the Central Asian republic’s Health Ministry told TASS news agency on Tuesday. Riots broke out on August 7 amid a special operation to detain former President Almazbek Atambayev.

Riots broke out in Kyrgyzstan on August 7 amid a special operation to detain former President Almazbek Atambayev in his hometown Koi-Tash near Bishkek. Special operations forces raided the residence of the former leader, who was accused of corruption and stripped of his immunity. The supporters of Atambayev, who has dismissed all accusations, put up resistance to the special forces, and one officer was killed in the operation.

Kyrgyzstan’s President Sooronbay Jeenbekov said that Atambayev had violated the constitution by resorting to armed resistance against the security forces. On August 8, the operation to detain Atambayev involved several thousand police and special ops forces. After the residence in his hometown was stormed, the former leader was detained. The court ordered the arrest of the ex-president at least until August 26 and Atambayev has been taken to a pre-trial detention centre of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security.