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After the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan, there were violent protests in the capital, Bishkek. At least 120 protesters were injured. According to eyewitnesses, former President Atambayev was released.
After the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan, which were accompanied by allegations of electoral fraud, protesters occupied the government headquarters in Bishkek. The Kyrgyz section of the US radio station Radio Free Europe published photos on its website showing the protesters in the main government building. According to eyewitness reports, critics of President Sooronbai Scheenbekow also managed to release the imprisoned former head of state Alsambek Atambayev from prison.
An activist who was involved in the occupation of the government headquarters told the AFP news agency that around 2,000 protesters broke through the barriers to the building that houses the parliament and the presidential administration. “No one tried to protect him when the crowd came in,” the witness said. Before the protesters entered the building, they sang the national anthem.
Seat of government occupied
After the occupation of the main government building, according to eyewitness reports, protesters also managed to storm the National Security Committee building, where former President Atambayev was serving an 11-year prison sentence for corruption and ties to the mafia. Activist Adil Turdukov told AFP that protesters critical of the government had released Atambayev from his cell “without violence and without the use of weapons.”
Atambayev was president from 2011 to 2017. After his arrest in August last year, there were violent riots in Kyrgyzstan. Atambayev’s supporters criticized the action against the former president for being politically motivated.
At least 120 injured in riots
Serious clashes broke out in the evening between protesters and police officers in Bishkek. The security forces violently broke up a protest at Ala-Too-Platz. Officials used sonic grenades, stun grenades and tear gas against protesters who demanded Scheenbekov’s resignation.
According to the Health Ministry, at least 120 people were injured, about half of them security guards. The opposition Ata Meken party announced that opposition leader Shanar Akayev had also been injured by a rubber bullet.
“Credible” allegations of vote buying
The major opposition parties Bir Bol and Ata Meken failed in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, according to the central electoral commission, at the seven percent hurdle. They accused Scheenbekow of dishonest elections and called for a protest. However, the parties distanced themselves from storming the seat of government. This came from “provocateurs,” said a representative of the Ata Meken party, Elwira Surabaldijewa.
Four parties, three of which are close to Scheenbekow, reached parliament. The largest parliamentary groups in the new parliament are the Birimdik and Mekenim Kyrgyz parties, each with around a quarter of the vote and campaigning for deeper integration with Russia.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe spoke of “credible” reports of vote buying. At the same time, the election observers stated that the voting was well organized. Also, the candidates could have had a fair election campaign.
Internet supply temporarily collapsed
Predominantly Muslim Kyrgyzstan with its six million inhabitants is considered the most democratic country in Central Asia, but at the same time it is politically particularly unstable. Businessmen feared that, as in the protests in 2005 and 2010, looting could occur. Many merchants have recalled products from their stores, eyewitnesses reported.
Telephone and Internet access in Bishkek partially collapsed overnight.
