In Kazakhstan, hundreds of mourners have paid their last respects to opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbayev, whose bullet-riddled body was found Monday near the country's financial capital, Almaty.
Some mourners, carrying placards blaming the government, filed past Sarsenbayev's coffin and listened to impassioned speeches at a ceremony Wednesday in Almaty.
The country's opposition has accused authorities of being involved in the death of the 43-year-old leader, his bodyguard and his driver. Their deaths came exactly three months after the death of Zamanbek Nurkadilov, a former ally of President Nursultan Nazarbayev who turned into a bitter critic. Nurkadilov was found dead in his house from three bullet wounds.
The U.S. embassy in Almaty has called for an immediate and thorough investigation.
Opposition figures say the murders make a mockery of President Nazarbayev's claims to have brought stability and democracy to the country.