Bill to Strip ex-President’s Immunity Advances in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz lawmakers have given preliminary approval to a bill that would eliminate immunity for ex-Presidents, potentially opening the path for the prosecution of former leader Almazbek Atambaev. The Parliamentary Committee for Legislation, State Structures, and Judicial Issues approved the bill on 27 November, meaning it is now likely to go to the full parliament for debate. The committee's backing comes amid persistent tension between Atambaev, who heads the ruling Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, and his successor, Sooronbai Jeenbekov, a former ally. In October, Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court ruled that the immunity enjoyed by the country's former Presidents is unconstitutional. Only two post-Soviet Kyrgyz leaders currently enjoy the official status of ex-presidents, Atambaev and Roza Otunbaeva, while former Presidents Akaev and Bakiev were stripped of the status when they fled Kyrgyzstan following their ousters. Both have been sentenced in absentia to lengthy prison terms on charges including corruption and abuse of office.