| The Kyrgyz authorities used troops against the opposition Over the past 24 hours, the situation in Kyrgyzstan has dangerously worsened. According to reports received from there over the past two days, the republican authorities decided to use force to suppress spontaneous protests in the south, in the Jalal-Abad and Osh regions. These actions were caused by unprecedented falsification of the results of the recent parliamentary elections, as a result of which several opposition and independent candidates were left without parliamentary mandates. Indignant opposition supporters decided that they had no choice but to resort to the last argument - the seizure of the buildings of regional and district administrations and departments of internal affairs. In these areas, people's kurultai (congresses) were held, which proclaimed authorities parallel to the official ones.
However, on Sunday night, units of the security forces of Kyrgyzstan, delivered to Osh and Jalal-Abad on planes from other regions of the republic, stormed the buildings of the captured administrations and the Internal Affairs Directorate (in Jalal-Abad). Yesterday evening there were reports of casualties among the population and the police, numbering about ten people. Dozens of wounded people, many of whom were women, were taken to local hospitals. About one hundred and fifty more citizens were detained and sent to filtration points to “clarify their identities.” It is reported that some of them have already been released.
Press Secretary of the President of Kyrgyzstan Abdil Segizbaev, explaining what happened, said that “the authorities waited for a long time for the organizers of the action to stop their illegal actions, but this did not happen, so law enforcement agencies were forced to take adequate actions related to the normalization of the work of local authorities.” . However, it is obvious that these “adequate actions” will only worsen the explosive situation in the south. Hundreds of people are already moving towards regional centers to join the protesters. Many of them are armed with so-called folk weapons, that is, everything that can be grabbed from household equipment.
According to Vremya Novostei information obtained from informed sources in the Kremlin administration, Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev urgently flew to Moscow early yesterday morning. There is no information yet whether he expects to meet with Vladimir Putin in the hope of finding his support. At the same time, Mr. Segizbayev yesterday denied the fact that his patron had arrived in the Russian capital: according to the press secretary, President Akaev is at home and holding meetings with the country's leadership.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Kyrgyz opposition, led by ex-Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiyev, arrived in Bishkek yesterday and demanded an urgent meeting with President Akaev.
Late on Sunday evening it became known that the Kyrgyz authorities are ready to negotiate with representatives of the opposition. This was stated by the Prime Minister of the Republic Nikolai Tanaev. Meanwhile, yesterday evening, protesters seized the Jalal-Abad airport to prevent planes carrying military personnel from landing. Arkady DUBNOV |
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