Chronicle of the fall

The people could not stand family lawlessness

"I will protect this power with a machine gun in my hands!" -said Kurmanbek Bakiev at one of his first press conferences as the head of Kyrgyzstan. Then it seemed to be a figure of speech, now - a reality. Question: Will it be different under the new government?
Two women walk in a broken glass and the remains of windows. Inflamed, tearful eyes speak for themselves: the store was plundered by the new Kyrgyz revolutionaries. “In 2005, we also lost everything,” says one of the hostesses of the store Olga K. “This time we hid all the goods in the apartment, which is located next to the store. Sitting guarded him. But this did not stop the looters. " “We called the police. And they turned to the new authorities. We were replied that it was better to leave the apartment, otherwise they will be killed, ”says another co -owner Anastasia P. Women were forced to climb the roof through the balcony, and then ask for a shelter from the neighbors. In the early morning, Olga and Anastasia decided to come to their store. The goods continued to be pulled out. “When I began to shout that this was my property, one of the looters took out a cut. It was pointless to argue further, ”says Anastasia. There is nothing left in the store and apartment. But women are alive. And they are already happy about this. But 79 citizens of Kyrgyzstan lost their lives in the Tulip Revolution-2. The youngest of them was 16. “I stood next to this boy,” recalls the Kanat. - He shot what was happening on a cell phone. Snipers first shot his hand. But he continued to shoot, holding the phone another. And then the sniper killed him with a shot in his forehead ... "

The first floor of the building of the Kyrgyzstan Government

Automat as a guarantee of power

In the commitment of Kurmanbek Bakiev, democratic values ​​began to doubt quite quickly. And this is his phrase: "I will protect this power with a machine gun in my hands!" - The said soon after his election by the president in 2005 was remembered by many. In 2007, the hands of the head of his administration, the experienced intriguer Medet Sadyrkulov, Bakiev defeated the opposition. Then, with the help of the same Sadirkulov, he was able to dissolve the current parliament; to conduct a new edition of the Constitution through the referendum, which gave the president more authority than the 2005 revolution of Askara Akayev had more authority; He held elections and formed a almost one -party parliament, consisting of 80% of the members of the Ak Zhol presidential party. In the next two years, the manual parliament and the government allowed Bakiev to involve the army in the resolution of internal civil conflicts, select their movable and immovable property from citizens without court decisions, actually introduce censorship in the media, close newspapers and television channels, monitor citizens, listen to their telephone conversations and view the correspondence on the Internet, set up the key posts of sons and brothers, and brothers. Provide the constitutional possibility of inheritance of power.
Special powers were given by the state security service (SGO). Under Akayev, this department was engaged only in the protection of the first persons of the state. Under Bakiev, she became the most powerful power structure. She was headed by the younger brother of President Zhanysh Bakiev. By the way, one of the last laws adopted by manual parliament was amendments to the Law on SGO. She was given the right to purchase and import weapons.
To strengthen the "fighting spirit" of law enforcement agencies, personnel launders were carried out there. Employees born in the north of the country were quit. And immigrants from the south of Kyrgyzstan were appointed to their places. Thus, the authorities expected that law enforcement agencies would not surrender it at the next revolution. After all, the southerners should support the "southern" president of Bakiev.
It seemed that the president and his entourage did everything to stay at the helm for centuries. Therefore, for everyone it was a shock of such a quick fall in Bakiev.

The thunderstorm came from the north

Kurmanbek Bakiev blames in everything the opposition and a certain country that supported the rebels, hinting at Russia. Although if you understand the details, then he himself is to blame for everything.
It is logical that protests against the Southern President began in the north of the country. Here they are used to living freely. Back in July 2009, on the day of the presidential election, unrest flashed in the small town of Balykchi in the west of the Issyk-Kul region. Then supporters of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK), headed by the chief opponent of Bakiev Almazbek Atambayev, tried to seize the buildings of state bodies. The rebellion quickly crushed. But the sediment remained. On Issyk-Kul, Kurmanbek Bakiev, they really do not like. During the 2005 presidential election, this area gave him only more than 30% of the vote (less than any other area). The reason for the dislike is to eliminate two potential opponents of the president, immigrants from this part of Kyrgyzstan.

Snipers received an order to shoot to defeat

Then, at the beginning of 2010, rallies began in another northern region - Naryn. For power, this was a surprise. The reason for discontent is a sharp increase in electricity tariffs. The authorities could not suppress the protest on time. Therefore, she had to retreat. "The Naryncans did the right thing to go to the rally!" - said President Bakiev in his speech in Kurultai. This event was conceived by the president’s political technologists for partial voltage removal. Specially selected people were allowed to gently criticize the power. Then there was an emergency decree of the President on 50 percent discounts for residents of high-mountain settlements-Naryn also refers to such-when paying for electricity bills. But from that moment on, the power began complete “twisting of the nuts”. One by one, the media that expressed criticism of the president were closed. This, according to power strategists, was supposed to curb the people. But at the end of March, the opposition announced the Kurultans of disagreement in the field. And if the authorities did not interfere with these gatherings, then it is quite possible that Bakiev would still be a full -fledged president.

Nuts flew in Talas

On April 6, one of the leaders of the opposition was detained in the Talas region, a native of Talas of the Sherniyazov swamps. With this, the fall of Bakiev began. Why is it here and with such a scale (and places even with a manifestation of inhuman cruelty) the fight against Bakiev has unfolded? Firstly, this is the birthplace of the wife of the first president of Kyrgyzstan-Mayram Akayeva. Secondly, it is a region separate from the country where there are not many people live. And everything is in each other, as they say, relatives. Thirdly, several large local leaders were injured under Bakiev. The same swamps of Sherniyazov, entrepreneur and politician Omurbek Babanov, young, but odious Ravshan Govyenbekov.

Photo for memory - protesters in the office of the overthrown president

Perhaps that is why it was here that “flames were freed from the spark”, and even with such animal cruelty.
“I am ashamed that I, a special forces, was forced to flee,” one of the participants in the events in Talas told the author, who agreed to speak only if his anonymity was observed. This 30-year-old special forces was in the besieged Internal Affairs Directorate of the Talas region, when the crowd tried to seize management five times. “We were taught a lot of things. But I have never seen such brutal people. It is impossible to describe. I don’t know, maybe they were drunk or got drunk .... But they were not afraid of anything. There was a rage in their eyes, which made us tremble. It is good that under the uniform there was civilian clothing. In it, we disappeared into the crowd and thus saved. I understand this is a shame for special forces. But, believe me, we would be torn to pieces! "
The author of these lines on April 7 in Bishkek was about the same, when an uncontrolled brutal crowd rushed at the walls of the government of the government and was no longer afraid of rubber bullets, nor tear gas, or snipers. With each dead, rage became more and more. And all her power had to be tested by young boys from the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and experienced police officers, who were actually left to perish at the walls of the Government House. According to eyewitnesses, after taking the building in a crowd, two snipers were dropped from the 7th floor.
Then this unremarkable rage resulted in the buildings of the General Prosecutor's Office (there was practically nothing left of the five -story building) and parliament, Bishkek shops and offices.
But even the next “revolutionary” defeat of the capital can be only a small part of the tests. The country has a foreboding of the civil war. Three southern regions, although they recognized the new government, they clearly disagree with such a course of history. Yes, and Kurmanbek Bakiev himself, along with his brothers, is in no hurry to give up.

"Do not forgive!"

“When we expelled Akayev, we considered him a coward. After all, he ran away from the country, without resistance, ”Sagynbubu analyzes the situation. She arrived in Bishkek from a small village of Kochkorka in the north of the Naryn region. - Now I understand that he acted correctly. Indeed, during the 2005 revolution here - in the square - not a single person died. See how many Bakiev and his family killed. We will never forgive him for this!
The same thing is said in a few surviving stores, public transport, in kitchens and benches at the porches. By and large, the population has already forgotten that they were most annoyed in Bakiev. Now they associate the president with only one - he shot people.
The leaders of the opposition, unexpectedly for themselves, having received the authorities, obviously, can hardly cope with the situation. Ahead of the most serious tests: the restoration of Bishkek, lifting the economy collapsing along with the Bakiev, creating a new political system. Already, new leaders have announced the reform of the Constitution. But, it seems, they do not yet know which country they will create. If the president remains with strong powers, then the emergence of new Akayev and Bakiyevs is inevitable, one of the local political scientists believes. In addition, in this situation, conflicts in the camp of today's new government are inevitable: according to tradition, the next president should be a northerner. This means that the main competitors will be Almazbek Atambayev and Temir Sariev. The split is inevitable. If the choice is made in favor of the parliamentary republic, then this is fraught with a permanent political crisis for the republic. After all, parties in Kyrgyzstan exist rather nominally. However, what to make? Today is the main question: will the country of civil war escape?

Egil Baysarov,
The head of the apparatus of the head of the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan:
“The state treasury is almost empty, the funds were transferred somewhere, only 986 million soms remained ($ 22 million-The New Times). That is why we froze the functioning of the banking system - we fear that the banks controlled by Bakiev will want to withdraw these funds from the country. ”

Rosa Otunbaeva,
The head of the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan - in an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station:
“The people are very desperate, unfortunately, they destroyed a lot, broke, burned. This despair and anger is like the pairs that goes beyond all these repressions, for the pressure, thoughtless, dumb, which is being done on the people ... We will not do any mobilization, no commandant watches, as Bakiev tried to grab something. ”

Kurmanbek Bakiev,
The overthrown president of Kyrgyzstan is in an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station:
“I am the chosen head of state. I do not admit any defeat ... I will not call specifically the country, I do not want to call it, but without external forces it is impossible to carry out such a coordinated operation ... There is no clanity, you can check, see. My brothers, relatives - they worked under Akayev in the same almost positions, and the fact that then I used them according to their professional basis, I see nothing bad in this. ”

From an interview with Kurmanbek Bakiev BBC
“If I return to Bishkek, they will kill me or throw me into the crowd with the words:“ It is he who is to blame for bloodshed. ”

Kyrgyzstan is a country in Central Asia, the population of a little more than 5.4 million since 1876 was part of the Russian Empire, which fought for many years against the authorities: in 1916 an uprising took place, as a result of which the sixth part of the population was killed. In 1936, Kyrgyzstan became part of the USSR as a Union Republic, and in 1991, independence again gained. The first president of independent Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev, after 14 years in power, was dismissed as a result of the 2005 Tulips Revolution. The former Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiev was elected president.
Kyrgyzstan is a young country: average age - 24.4 years. Most of the population are Muslims (75%), Orthodox - 20%; Ethnic Kyrgyzes make up almost 70%, Uzbeks are slightly less than 14%, Russians - 12.5%(along with the Kyrgyz Russian - the official language).
The main occupation of the population is agriculture (almost 64%lives in the village) and the service sector. The country is very poor, per capita GDP is $ 2100 (6 times more in Russia). Economics in 2006–2008. She showed 6 percent growth-mainly due to the increase in gold prices that the country is rich in.
The longest border (more than 1000 km) —c Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, a little less (more than 800 km) - with China and Tajikistan.