Ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir uulu told akipress.org on 19 July that he has made two appeals to prosecutors for the possible release of imprisoned opposition leader Feliks Kulov. The appeals came in response to a request from Kulov on 5 April. Bakir uulu said that a preliminary investigation concluded that Kulov should go free on 5 August, but he noted that the authorities have not yet made an official decision on the case. Seen as Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev\'s chief rival, Kulov is serving a 10-year sentence for embezzlement; his supporters say that he is a political prisoner. (akipress.org)