Minsk, Sep 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti): Belarus has refused to extradite a brother of Kyrgyzstan's ex-president who is wanted in the country on murder charges, a Belarusian official said.

Kyrgyzstan has repeatedly asked Belarus to honour its international legal commitments and extradite Zhanysh Bakiyev, brother of ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Bakiyev is on the Interpol wanted list on charges of triple murder of former presidential administration chief Medet Sadyrkulov, chief of the International Institute of Strategic Studies Sergei Slepchenko, and driver Kubat Sulaimanov.

Belarus denied extradition in June on the basis of a legal assistance convention of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which bars extradition "when there are solid grounds to believe that the extradition request is related to the persecution of an individual on the basis of his race, gender, religion, ethnicity or political views".

A spokesman for the Belarusian Prosecutor General's office said: "Taking into account the events in Kyrgyzstan and the nature of charges laid against Bakiyev, the Belarusian side believes that the extradition request was filed due to persecution for political beliefs and was thus rejected."

Kyrgyzstan recalled its ambassador to Belarus after images of Bakiyev and his two assistants taken near a restaurant in Minsk appeared on the internet.

Former Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev and many of his relatives and supporters went into exile after an uprising in April 2010 that ousted the president.

Opposition forces, brought to power by the revolt, put the two brothers on the international wanted list and the Interpol has issued a red notice for them.