Kyrgyzstan wants to try GI in death

Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan said they have asked the U.S. to hand over an American serviceman to be tried for fatally shooting a civilian in the Central Asian nation.

The chief prosecutor's office said Monday that, despite the immunity granted to U.S. servicemen deployed in the ex-Soviet republic, the airman should face criminal prosecution in Kyrgyzstan "due to the gravity of the crime and public demands that justice be ensured."

The office said in a statement that it had notified relevant U.S. departments of its request.

The U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Manas Air Base, located near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, said they had no immediate comment.

The shooting took place in December when truck driver Alexander Ivanov was going through a security check at the entrance to the U.S. base, which supports operations in Afghanistan. The U.S. military has said Ivanov was fired upon after he threatened the airman with a knife.

Kyrgyz authorities have said investigators found the U.S. serviceman exceeded the limits of self defense. A U.S. investigation of the incident has not been completed, the U.S. Embassy said.

Last week, the chief prosecutor's office said the serviceman could not be charged because of his diplomatic status. Monday's statement came hours after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's office said he had signed an order dismissing Prosecutor General Kambaraly Kongantiyev.

It was not clear if there was any link between the request for the airman to be handed over and Kongantiyev's dismissal, which the opposition had demanded. His replacement has not been named.