09 Apr 10 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Following dramatic scenes in the capital Bishek in the last few days, Roza Otunbayeva, the leader of Kyrgyzstan’s Social Democratic Party said today that a coalition of opposition parties have seized control of the country’s security headquarters, state television and various government buildings. Otunbayeva called on President Kurmanbek Bakiyev — who fled the capital on Wednesday night — to resign and said she would lead an interim government until elections are called. In a press conference on Thursday morning, she claimed that the opposition’s actions were in response to the government’s attacks on freedom: “what we did yesterday was our answer to the repression and tyranny against the people by the Bakiyev regime. You can call this revolution. You can call this a people’s revolt. Either way, it is our way of saying that we want justice and democracy.” Since he took office in 2005, Bakiyev has cracked down on opposition parties and the independent media.
07 Apr 10 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Large-scale riots have broken out in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, over what human rights groups claim are increasingly repressive policies of the president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev. One government minister has been killed, and the deputy prime minister has been taken hostage in a series of protests which started when a group of protestors stormed government offices in the town of of Talas on Tuesday. Since he took office in 2005, Bakiyev has cracked down on opposition parties and the independent media. Last Wednesday, a court suspended the newspaper Forum, on the basis that an article contained “appeals to forcibly overthrow the constitutional order”. On Thursday, financial police raided the Bishkek headquarters of the independent Web-based television outlet Stan TV, confiscating all computer equipment. The clampdown follows suspensions of two other newspapers Achyk Sayasat and Nazar on 18 March. All thee had reported on a March opposition convention, at which representatives demanded President Bakiyev dismiss his relatives from government positions, and that the government lower electricity and heating costs.
22 Dec 09 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
A Kyrgyz opposition journalist, Gennady Pavlyuk has died in Kazakhstan today, nearly a week after he was thrown out of sixth-floor window with his hands and feet bound. He had been in a coma since the 16 December incident and died without regaining consciousness. Pavlyuk was a leading critic of Kyrgyzstan’s President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and officials in both countries said a criminal investigation had been opened. Kyrgyzstan has repeatedly come under attack for human rights violations after a series of deaths or beatings of opposition journalists in the country. Read more here
20 Jul 09 | Index Index, minipost
Officials in Kyrgyzstan have claimed at a news conference that a local police officer has admitted to inflicting the injuries on freelance journalist Almazbek Tashiyev that resulted in his death last week. They claim the policeman knew Tashiyev well and the row was personal and now consider the case to be closed. Upon admission to hospital Tashiyev, and his brother who also witnessed the incident said he had been assaulted by “about 10 policemen”. Read more here
