Opposition Demonstartions Turn Violent In Kyrgyzstan
WATCH: Footage from YouTube showing protesters battling with security forces in Bishkek today.
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4Z4o0yvuJ3g&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4Z4o0yvuJ3g&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
BISHKEK (RFE/RL) -- Gunfire has broken out between security forces and people within a crowd of demonstrators that surrounded the Kyrgyz presidential building, according to RFE/RL correspondents in Bishkek.
Unconfirmed witness reports said that five people were killed and hospitals report receiving at least six people with gunshot wounds.
The gunfire erupted as demonstrators surrounded the presidential building today and attempted to push their way past police and soldiers deployed around the compound. The demonstrators are calling for the resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiev.
The angry crowd reportedly numbering several thousand people attempted to storm the presidential building as protests that started in the northwestern city of Talas on April 6 spread throughout the country.
Earlier today, authorities fired tear gas and stun grenades on a crowd of antigovernment demonstrators outside the offices of the main opposition party.
The opposition last month called for nationwide protests today if the government did not meet a list of demands, including the release of jailed opposition politicians.
In the northeastern city of Naryn, a crowd reportedly numbering more than 1,000 people seized the provincial administration building there.
And demonstrators in the northwestern city of Talas continue to occupy at least some of the provincial administration building there.
Protesters seized the building on April 6, briefly holding the governor hostage before police and commandos retook the building in the evening.
The protesters returned later and reoccupied the building after reportedly beating some of the policemen. Authorities said some 80 policemen were injured, some by stones thrown by protesters.
The building remains occupied by protesters today and according to reports, some 7,000 people have gathered near the Talas administrative building and the central police station.
Other demonstrations were reported in the town of Tokmok, near Bishkek, where protesters also reportedly seized the administration building, and in the southern city of Osh.
Opposition Figures Detained
Key opposition figures were detained overnight, including Social Democratic Party leader and former Prime Minister Almaz Atambaev, and Omurbek Tekebaev the head of the Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party. Prosecutors said they were accused of "serious crimes."
Opposition figure Bolot Sherniazov, who was at the center of the unrest in Talas on April 6, was also reportedly in police custody.
Another opposition leader, former Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva, has reportedly gone into hiding to avoid arrest.
Many independent websites are blocked and local opposition media outlets are being prevented from printing or broadcasting.
The unrest follows weeks of tension between the opposition and the government of President Bakiev, accused by opponents of cracking down on independent media and fostering corruption.
Bakiev came to power after the People's, or "Tulip" Revolution in March 2005 that ousted longtime President Askar Akaev, who many accused of consolidating power in his own hands and helping friends and family members get government posts.
Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov and Prosecutor-General Nurlan Tursunkulov have appealed for calm but warned those responsible for the events in Talas and other cities where disorder is being reported will face charges.
Russia, the United States, and the United Nations have called for calm and urged the Kyrgyz government to avoid resorting to force to restore order.
In a statement today, the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek said it was "deeply concerned" about the reports of civil disturbances in Talas and urged all sides to resolve their differences peacefully.
Neighboring countries Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have increased security along their borders with Kyrgyzstan.
The international pressure group Human Rights Watch earlier called on the Kyrgyz government to allow peaceful opposition protests to take place today, and to refrain from force to break up gatherings.
No comments:
Post a Comment