Crisis in Kyrgyz Republic

[Forrest Griffin]

Protests topple Kyrgyzstan's president, opposition claims

By the CNN Wire Staff
April 7, 2010 5:20 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
-NEW: Former foreign minister says she is in charge of interim government
-NEW: Roza Otunbayeva says President Kurmanbek Bakiev has been driven from office
-NEW: No independent confirmation of the claim was immediately available.
-At least 40 dead, 400 wounded in fighting in capital city, health agency says

(CNN) -- A former foreign minister claimed to be in control of an interim government in Kyrgyzstan early Thursday after a wave of protests that left at least 40 dead and appeared to have driven President Kurmanbek Bakiev from office.

"I hope we have control of the whole situation, but at the same time I must tell you that there is a lot of work," Roza Otunbayeva, who called herself the country's interim leader, told CNN.

No independent confirmation of the claim was immediately available. The U.S. State Department said earlier that it believed Bakiev remained in power, but Otunbayeva said he had fled Bishkek, the capital, and his government had resigned after a day of clashes between anti-government protesters and police.

Kyrgyzstan's Health Ministry told CNN that 40 people had been killed and 400 wounded in the clashes, and that the toll was expected to rise.

Bishkek resident Munarbek Kuldanbaev told CNN that opposition leaders went on the state television network and called for calm, but clashes between opposition supporters and police continued into Wednesday night. Another Bishkek resident, who asked to remain anonymous because of security concerns, said there was machine-gun fire around the city and blood stained the streets in front of the presidential palace.

The country's major television networks showed images of riot police turning water cannons on demonstrators and asked people to donate blood, but no statements from the government were airing.

Nejat Akcal, the Turkish ambassador in Bishkek, said the protests began Tuesday in the northern city Talas over increases in fuel and electricity prices. They spread to Bishkek on Wednesday, he said.

"There is a lot of frustration," Akcal said.

Bakiev has led the former Soviet republic since 2005, after a similar upheaval led to the ouster of then-President Askar Akayev. He won a new term in July 2009 in a vote the United States said "was marred by significant obstacles for opposition parties, intimidation, voting irregularities, and the use of government resources to benefit specific political interests."

There have been reports of restrictions on the freedom of expression and the media in the country, including the recent closure of an opposition newspaper and other media outlets, the United Nations said.

In Washington, a senior Pentagon official told CNN that the turmoil has interrupted flights into and out of Kyrgyzstan's Manas Air Base, an important link in the supply line for U.S. and NATO forces in nearby Afghanistan. It was unclear when those flights would resume, the official said, but the U.S. military has contingency plans to deal with the situation.

The Russian independent news agency Interfax reported that fighting erupted in Bishkek, Talas and a third city, Naryn, after opposition leaders were arrested in Talas. Protesters demanded that the opposition leaders be released, and Interfax reported that the demonstrators had seized control of Naryn, Talas and other towns.

Russia called on Kyrgyz authorities and the opposition to settle all disputes without force and with a democratic process. It also stepped up security at its air base in Kant.

"On the assumption of our interests to secure political stability in a country that is friendly to ours, we believe it is important that all issues in the given situation be resolved within the legal framework. At the same time, we would like to strongly appeal to the opposing forces to refrain from the use of force to avoid bloodshed in any case," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

iReporter describes protests, discusses grievances

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who had visited Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, said Wednesday he was "shocked" by the reports of violence and urged all sides to show restraint, engage in dialogue and promote calm.

"While freedom of assembly is an essential element of any democratic society, the rule of law must be respected," he said.

Protests topple Kyrgyzstan's president, opposition claims - CNN.com

 

[Forrest Griffin]

Videos and images can be seen at the article's website:

Protests topple Kyrgyzstan's president, opposition claims - CNN.com

 

[Indestructible]

Has the government fallen? President is on the run I believe.

 

[Areesh]

The situation is worst and I hope for peace ofr the brothers of Kyrghyzstan.

 

[SMC]

I wish the Pakistani people could do the same as regards to the corrupt thug PPP government.

 

[sparklingway]

The official name of the country is "Kyrgyz Republic" not "Islamic Republic of Kyrgyzistan".

There are four "Islamic Republics" in the world:-

1. Islamic Republic of Pakistan
2. Islamic Republic of Iran
3. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
4. Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Democracy, Tolerance, Freedom of Religion, Peace, Harmony and Social Welfare are alien to all four nations.

 

[Forrest Griffin]

Country Name:

Conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic
Conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan
Local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy
Local short form: Kyrgyzstan
Former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

Religions:
Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html

 

[Forrest Griffin]

PDF won't let me edit the title.

 

[EjazR]

FT.com / Asia-Pacific - Opposition declares Bakiyev toppled

Violent clashes between thousands of anti-government protesters and Kyrgyz troops left dozens dead and threw control of the strategically important central Asian nation into doubt as opposition leaders declared they had taken power.

Opposition leaders went on state television to say they were forming a new government of "people's trust", while the regime of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstan's president, had stepped down.

"The opposition has taken power over the republic," said Rosa Otunbaeva, a former foreign minister under Mr Bakiyev, who said she was co-ordinating the formation of the new government.

No one in the government could be reached for comment, while Mr Bakiyev was nowhere to be seen. Opposition leaders claimed he had left Bishkek, the capital, for Osh in the south of the country.

The US state department, however, said it believed that Mr Bakiyev's government remained in power. A US spokesman said Washington's base at Manas airport was "functioning normally".

Kyrgyzstan had been relatively peaceful since the Tulip Revolution in 2005 toppled Askar Akayev, the former president, and swept Mr Bakiyev to power. But tension has been building since July, when Mr Bakiyev won a second term in an election condemned by international observers as unfair.

Kyrgyz troops opened fire yesterday as thousands of protesters stormed government buildings in Bishkek, leaving dozens killed. The violence erupted in a country that houses the key US air base for supplies into Afghanistan and which has been a point of tension between Russia and the west. Opposition leaders said as many as 100 people had been killed, while the government counted 47 dead.

Temir Sariev, an opposition leader, told reporters that activists had entered government headquarters last night, where Mr Bakiyev had been believed to be sheltering, but found no trace of the president.

Russian news agencies said police guarding the building had abandoned their posts.

Plumes of smoke were shown by Russian television billowing through Bishkek after protesters had stormed the prosecutor-general's office and set it on fire, while looters continued to rampage in the streets through the night.

In Talas, in the impoverished north, Moldomusa Kongantiyev, the interior minister, and Akylbek Zhaparov, the first deputy prime minister, were beaten by a crowd, the Ferghana news service reported.

Edil Baisalov, an exiled Kyrgyz opposition leader, said: "What we are seeing is a classic popular uprising. This is a revolution, and it is bloody."

He blamed authoritarianism for the unrest, and added: "This is what happens when you hold the lid on the cooking pot too tightly - it explodes."

Events were being watched closely by Washington and Moscow, which also has a military presence in Kyrgyzstan.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, denied that Moscow had stoked the protests. "Neither Russia, nor your humble servant, nor Russian officials have any links whatsoever to these events," he told Russian news agencies.

The unrest in Bishkek has spread from regions where protests have been under way for days. Daniyar Usenov, the Kyrgyz prime minister, said 1,000 people had been injured in Talas. "They are bandits - they are not an opposition movement," he said.

The authorities had swept on the opposition on Tuesday, arresting several prominent figures, including Almazbek Atambayev, the former prime minister.

After the election, Mr Bakiyev introduced sweeping reforms that transferred management of the economy and security to new bodies controlled by his family and close associates.