BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz blogger Yryskeldi Jekshenaliev, who was arrested in August on charges of making public calls for mass disorder and violence, has been transferred to house arrest.
Jekshenaliev's lawyer, Kantemir Turdaliev, told RFE/RL that the Bishkek City Court pronounced the decision on October 26.
The 19-year-old blogger was arrested and sent to pretrial detention in mid-August after he posted online materials questioning the legality of the government's plans to develop iron-ore mining in the Central Asian nation's Jetim-Too mountain region.
The charges against Jekshenaliev stem from his post on a Facebook account called Polit Uznik (Political Prisoner).
His arrest came just hours after President Sadyr Japarov condemned unspecified "defenders" of the environment in the region, calling them "false patriots and liars."
Japarov, who initiated the project to develop iron-ore mining in Jetim-Too, called on law enforcement "to work" with such people. He did not elaborate.
Human rights groups have urged Kyrgyz authorities to release Jekshenaliev and drop all charges against him.
Jekshenaliev has insisted the case against him is politically motivated.
