Revolution in Kyrgyzstan?

[paul191600]

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan Anti-government unrest rocked the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday as thousands of protesters stormed the main government building, set fire to the prosecutor's office and took over state television.

 

The eruption of violence shattered the relative stability of this mountainous former Soviet nation, which houses a U.S. military base that is a key supply center in the fight against the Taliban in nearby Afghanistan.

 

At least 17 people were killed and at least 180 wounded in clashes between demonstrators and security forces, the government said. The main opposition leader said 100 demonstrators had been slain but the claim could not immediately be confirmed.

 

The leader of main opposition party Ata-Meken announced on national television that he was negotiating with the president and demanding he step down. Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the claim.

 

Ata-Meken head Omurbek Tekebayev said he wanted every family to adopt the philosophy "freedom or death."

 

The chaos erupted after elite police at government headquarters in the capital, Bishkek, opened fire to drive back crowds furious over government corruption and a recent hike in power prices. Protesters seized and looted the state TV building and marched toward the Interior Ministry, according to Associated Press reporters on the scene, before changing direction and attacking a national security building nearby. They were repelled by security forces.

 

Opposition activist Shamil Murat told the AP that Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongatiyev had been beaten to death by a mob in the western town of Talas where the unrest began a day ago. The respected Fergana.ru Web site reported later that Kongatiyev was badly beaten but had not died, saying its own reporter had witnessed the beating.

 

Dozens of wounded demonstrators lined the corridors of one of Bishkek's main hospitals, a block away from the main square, where doctors were unable to cope with the flood of patients. Weeping nurses slumped over dead bodies, doctors shouted at each other and the floors were covered in blood.

 

Health Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Bayalinova said 180 people were hurt in the clashes Wednesday, without elaborating. Opposition activist Toktoim Umetalieva said at least 100 people had died after police opened fire with live ammunition. The number of 17 dead was confirmed by another government health official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

 

The unrest began Tuesday in the western city of Talas, where demonstrators stormed a government office and held a governor hostage, prompting a government warning of "severe" repercussions for continuing unrest.

 

The opposition called nationwide protests for Wednesday, vowing to defy increasingly authoritarian President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

 

Since coming to power in 2005 on a wave of street protests known as the Tulip Revolution, Bakiyev has ensured a measure of stability, but many observers say he has done so at the expense of democratic standards while enriching himself and his family.

 

Over the past two years, Kyrgyz authorities have clamped down on free media, and opposition activists say they have routinely been subjected to physical intimidation and targeted by politically motivated criminal investigations. Many of the opposition leaders once were allies of Bakiyev.

 

Anti-government forces have been in disarray until recently, but widespread anger over a 200 percent hike in electricity and heating gas bills has galvanized the fractious opposition.

 

Police in Bishkek at first used rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannons and concussion grenades Wednesday to try to control crowds of young men clad in black who were chasing police officers, beating them up and seizing their arms, trucks and armored personnel carriers.

 

Some protesters then tried to use a personnel carrier to ram the gates of the government headquarters, known as the White House. Many of the protesters threw rocks, but about a half dozen young protesters shot Kalashnikovs into the air from the square in front of the building.

 

"We don't want this rotten power!" protester Makhsat Talbadyev said, as he and others in Bishkek waved opposition party flags and chanted: "Bakiyev out!"

 

Some 200 elite police began firing, pushing the crowd back from the government headquarters. The president was not seen in public Wednesday and his whereabouts were unclear.

 

Protesters set fire to the prosecutor general's office in the city center, and a giant plume of black smoke billowed into the sky.

 

Groups of protesters then set out across Bishkek, attacking more government buildings.

 

At least 10 opposition leaders were arrested overnight and were being held at the security headquarters in Bishkek, opposition lawmaker Irina Karamushkina said.

 

One of them, Temir Sariyev, was freed Wednesday by protesters.

 

The U.S. State Department called for peace and restraint on both sides.

 

The prime minister, meanwhile, accused the opposition of provoking the violence in the country of 5 million people.

 

"What kind of opposition is this? They are just bandits," Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov said.

 

Unrest also broke out for a second day in the western town of Talas and spread to the southern city of Naryn.

 

Some 5,000 protesters seized Naryn's regional administration building and installed a new governor, opposition activist Adilet Eshenov said. At least four people were wounded in clashes, including the regional police chief, he said.

 

Another 10,000 protesters stormed police headquarters Wednesday in Talas, where on Tuesday protesters had held the regional governor hostage in his office.

 

The protesters beat up the interior minister, Kongatiyev, and forced him to call his subordinates in Bishkek and call off the crackdown on protesters, a correspondent for the local affiliate of U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said.

 

Witnesses said the crowd in Talas looted police headquarters Wednesday, removing computers and furniture. Dozens of police officers left the building and mingled with protesters.

 

In the eastern region of Issyk-Kul, protesters seized the regional administration building and declared they installed their governor, the Ata-Meken opposition party said on its Web site.

 

Hundreds of protesters overran the government building Tuesday on Talas' main square. They were initially dispersed by baton-wielding police, but then fought through tear gas and flash grenades to regroup, burning police cars and hurling stones and Molotov cocktails.

 

Usenov said Tuesday's violence in Talas had left 85 officers injured and 15 unaccounted for.

 

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who met with Bakiyev in Kyrgyzstan on Sunday, arrived in Moscow on Wednesday at the end of a trip to several Central Asian nations.

 

"The secretary-general is shocked by the reported deaths and injuries that have occurred today in Kyrgyzstan," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said. "He once again calls on all concerned to show restraint. He urgently appeals for dialogue and calm to avoid further bloodshed."

 

Slideshow [Warning! Contains some content that may be found disturbing!]: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Protests-Kyrgyzstan/ss/events/wl/040710kyrgyzstan

[Perakp]

For those getting their first reaction (where the hell is kyrzwhat?)

 

Sounds interesting, gonna see the slideshow ->

[1_man_army]

I just had a news email from Demotix about this. Anyway, it's difficult to tell how this kind of widespread protest will work out in the long term. Often these things tend to run out of steam over time as they did in Iran however, they do have form for revolution - they did have one in 2005.

 

Hopefully they crash a plane into something so we can just go over there and take out all the "stans" in one fell swoop.

 

A nuclear-armed Pakistan might have something to say about that.

[paul191600]

I just had a news email from Demotix about this. Anyway, it's difficult to tell how this kind of widespread protest will work out in the long term. Often these things tend to run out of steam over time as they did in Iran however, they do have form for revolution - they did have one in 2005.

 

Hopefully they crash a plane into something so we can just go over there and take out all the "stans" in one fell swoop.

 

A nuclear-armed Pakistan might have something to say about that.

I was thinking the same thing...

However, this protest seems allot more serious. The protestors took over several government buildings, along with military vehicles/firearms, and they don't seem intent on stopping anytimes soon.

[indy500fan]

Crisis in Kyrgyzstan - The Big Picture's photo journal of the protests.

[dsavi]

Excellent pictures, I feel sorry for both sides. Hopefully this means well for Kyrgyzstan, I'm quite uninformed about it.

[paul191600]

Crisis in Kyrgyzstan - The Big Picture's photo journal of the protests.

Funny how they beat the military police and took their RPGs. Picture #33 on that site made me chuckle. The guy looks stoked.

[Nadril]

Crisis in Kyrgyzstan - The Big Picture's photo journal of the protests.

Funny how they beat the military police and took their RPGs. Picture #33 on that site made me chuckle. The guy looks stoked.

 

Heh he does look stoked.

 

Amazing photos though.

[Me_Hate_Libs]

Apparently the Rebels are pushing for changing the name of the country into something more pronouncable.

[indy500fan]

Amazing photos though.

 

It would be nice to have better quality available though. When I first started keeping up with it a year or two ago I was on a monitor with 1024x768 resolution so they took up a lot of the screen and seemed big. Now they barely take up a third of the monitor space, about half of the usable browser window.

[Nero]

Apparently the Rebels are pushing for changing the name of the country into something more pronouncable.

My vote goes to Kaliningrad.

[indy500fan]

of some of the protests.

[Lordcannicus]

 

Krzygistan next? xD

[Legosimx]

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/07/kyrgyzstan.emergency.riots/index.html?hpt=T1

 

Well, according to some, there has been a total coup, and the president has been deposed...

[Giordano]

Viva la revolution?

 

No? Yes? Maybe?

[Lenticular_J]

I'm waiting to see if this is more an ideal-centered revolution or political. Hope it's based around ideals.

[tortilliachp]

I'm waiting to see if this is more an ideal-centered revolution or political. Hope it's based around ideals.

 

it really depends on what ideals their base is though, or what political ideology.

 

 

 

I find it revolting that images of dead people have hide tags. Censoring reality, when bloodied others are shown without problem. blood and gore, sure. Blood, gore and death? No, in america (boston.com) people don't die, they just squirt blood, and then disappear. pathetic, who decides these laws / principles?

 

 

 

I think I speak for all, when i say we can only hope the ordeal ends in the best possible outcome as quickly as possible.

[Legosimx]

The Kyrgyz President is saying he won't resign, as the protesters/rebels are attempting to force him to do.

 

And I think it is political based, not idealistic.

[The Dark Lord]

I wonder how the US would react if this was a socialist revolution...

[Orpheus]

So, what are these rebels pushing for again?

[tortilliachp]

So, what are these rebels pushing for again?

 

Democracy is one of the claims the "prime minister" demanded yesterday at least.

[Barihawk]

This sounds like more of a "I lost the election fairly so I am going to take it by force" kind of revolution to me.

 

I mean, if stablizing the nation while securing your financial future is an offense worthy of revolution, every American needs to grab their shotgun and head to the US Capitol building.

 

The protestors seem to be acting far worse than the "despotic government" and the opposition leader is supporting the mob violence.

[tortilliachp]

This sounds like more of a "I lost the election fairly so I am going to take it by force" kind of revolution to me.

 

I mean, if stablizing the nation while securing your financial future is an offense worthy of revolution, every American needs to grab their shotgun and head to the US Capitol building.

 

The protestors seem to be acting far worse than the "despotic government" and the opposition leader is supporting the mob violence.

 

The OSCE said that the media biased Bakiyev so thoroughly before the last election that the elections "did not allow voters to make an informed choice" and simoultaneously that the election was "marred by many problems and irregularities" For OSCE, those are very serious terms in saying the elections were undemocratic.

 

no revolution is peaceful, we just need to wait and see how policy is conducted, and if the country actually becomes democratic before we judge the revolutionists in my opinion

[fakeitormakeit2]

This sounds like more of a "I lost the election fairly so I am going to take it by force" kind of revolution to me.

 

I mean, if stablizing the nation while securing your financial future is an offense worthy of revolution, every American needs to grab their shotgun and head to the US Capitol building.

 

The protestors seem to be acting far worse than the "despotic government" and the opposition leader is supporting the mob violence.

 

The OSCE said that the media biased Bakiyev so thoroughly before the last election that the elections "did not allow voters to make an informed choice" and simoultaneously that the election was "marred by many problems and irregularities" For OSCE, those are very serious terms in saying the elections were undemocratic.

 

no revolution is peaceful, we just need to wait and see how policy is conducted, and if the country actually becomes democratic before we judge the revolutionists in my opinion

That is not revolution worthy, in my area, I think for every 1 or 2 John McCain commercials there were at least 8 or 9 Obama commercials. Then for our gubernatorial election there were soooo many John Corzine commercials in favor of him and defaming Christie, and even Obama made a few in state appearances, he still lost. Bias media is no excuse because media is a private enterprise anyway, however unfair Bakiyev's advantage may have been, it was still legal therefore you can't just overthrow your government in a bloody coup, because the point of a successful democratic government is the rotation of power from group to group is peaceful.

[tortilliachp]

This sounds like more of a "I lost the election fairly so I am going to take it by force" kind of revolution to me.

 

I mean, if stablizing the nation while securing your financial future is an offense worthy of revolution, every American needs to grab their shotgun and head to the US Capitol building.

 

The protestors seem to be acting far worse than the "despotic government" and the opposition leader is supporting the mob violence.

 

The OSCE said that the media biased Bakiyev so thoroughly before the last election that the elections "did not allow voters to make an informed choice" and simoultaneously that the election was "marred by many problems and irregularities" For OSCE, those are very serious terms in saying the elections were undemocratic.

 

no revolution is peaceful, we just need to wait and see how policy is conducted, and if the country actually becomes democratic before we judge the revolutionists in my opinion

That is not revolution worthy, in my area, I think for every 1 or 2 John McCain commercials there were at least 8 or 9 Obama commercials. Then for our gubernatorial election there were soooo many John Corzine commercials in favor of him and defaming Christie, and even Obama made a few in state appearances, he still lost. Bias media is no excuse because media is a private enterprise anyway, however unfair Bakiyev's advantage may have been, it was still legal therefore you can't just overthrow your government in a bloody coup, because the point of a successful democratic government is the rotation of power from group to group is peaceful.

 

wanting democracy is not worthy of revolution? excuse me, but the ignorance in assuming media in a typical third world, autocratic state is identical to american media is mindboggeling to me.

 

I also think you also missed the more major concern, which is that the election was "marred by problems and irregularities" irregularities in elections are synonymous with electoral fraud, it's just the politically correct term. When OSCE calls an election "undemocratic" you know there is no real democracy in the country, the UN does not play around with human rights.