in government and political allies would face trial over the deaths of protesters. A Kyrgyz court issued an arrest warrant for Bakiyev's brother Janybek Bakiyev, eldest son Marat Bakiyev and former Prime Minister Daniar Usenov. Bakiyev resignation On 15 April at a rally by Bakiyev in front of a 1,000 supporters gunshots were heard, although Bakiyev was reported to have safely left the scene. Some claimed that the firing came from his own bodyguards in order to keep the peace and avoid a confrontation with opponents. Later in the day Bakiyev was reported to have flown into exile to the Kazakhstani city of Taraz. it was said that he would continue negotiations on a settlement to the crisis from exile. The interim government responded to this by calling his departure a "deportation", saying he had allegedly submitted a request to resign amid reports indicating that Baktybek Kaliyev, a former defence minister, had been arrested. The interim government also said it would seek Bakiyev's transfer to a Kyrgyz or international court for trial at a later date. Kazakhstan, as the chair of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, confirmed Bakiyev's departure saying it was an important step towards preventing civil war. It added that joint efforts between themselves and Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama had fostered such an agreement. Bakiyev submitted a hand-written resignation letter saying "I tender my resignation in these tragic days as I understand the full scale of my responsibility for the future of the Kyrgyz people." The interim president allegedly said "he had become a source of instability ... [that] they could no longer tolerate that." She added that most of his entourage was still in the country and that she would press ahead with bringing Bakyiev to trial. On 20 April, the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko said his country had afforded Bakiyev and three members of his family "the protection of our state, and personally of the president." On 21 April, in a statement from Minsk, Bakiyev said he still considers himself the country's president and pledged to do all he can to return the country to its "constitutional field." He then upped the ante by saying, "I do not recognise my resignation. Nine months ago the people of Kyrgyzstan elected me their president and there is no power that can stop me. Only death can stop me." He then called on the international