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Kyrgyz Opposition Calls For Government To Step Down After Deadly Clashes

Last updated (GMT/UTC): 07.04.2010 17:11

BISHKEK (RFE/RL) -- A leader of Kyrgyzstan's opposition has demanded that the government step down, following a day of protests that left at least 30 people dead.

Omurbek Tekebaev spoke on state television hours after the state TV building was overrun by opposition protesters in Bishkek. He said that "around 100 people have been killed in the disorder."

The Health Ministry has confirmed that 30 people were killed and about 180 wounded, without specifying whether the casualty figures included both police and civilians.

The opposition has also announced the formation of an interim government.

There has been no word from President Kurmanbek Bakiev since the antigovernment protests started on April 6. There are unconfirmed reports that Bakiev's residence in Bishkek has been sacked by looters.

The opposition demand came during a day of dramatic developments as protesters clashed with security forces outside the presidential palace in Bishkek.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed shock at the loss of life. Ban, who had just traveled the region, appealed for dialogue and calm to avoid further bloodshed.

The violence erupted as protests that initially started in the northwestern town of Talas on April 6 spread to Bishkek and other towns today.

Demonstrators angry at what they say is government corruption have been calling for Bakiev's resignation and the release of opposition leaders, among other demands.

RFE/RL correspondents report from Bishkek that demonstrators later seized the parliament. They also entered the Prosecutor-General's Office, burning files and setting fire to the building.

Some protesters also attacked the National Security Committee's headquarters, but failed to enter the building.

Meanwhile, opposition lawmaker Isa Omurkulov told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service that all opposition figures detained since April 6 were released. Those include Social Democratic Party leader and former Prime Minister Almaz Atambaev, and Tekebaev, the head of the Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party.

Tekebaev, appearing afterward on state television, called on the government to resign, saying the opposition would form an interim government.

Earlier, Bakiev was reported to have ordered a state of emergency in Bishkek and three other areas -- though the order has yet to be approved by parliament.

There has been no word from Bakiev, although a presidential aide told news agencies the "president is in his office in the White House and hasn’t gone anywhere." Kanibek Zhoroev said the president is not considering leaving the country.

Protests Spread Across Country

Today's developments come on the day the opposition had called for nationwide protests.

In the northwestern city of Talas today, RFE/RL's correspondent reported seeing Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongantiev and Governor Beishen Bolotbekov being beaten up outside the local police station by protesters who also seized that building.

Kongantiev had gone to Talas after thousands of protesters seized the government building there overnight.

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. The authorities said some 80 policemen were injured, some by stones protesters threw at them.

In the northeastern city of Naryn a crowd reportedly numbering more than 1,000 people seized the provincial administration building there today.

Other demonstrations were reported in the northern town of Tokmok, where protesters surrounded the local police administration.

Many independent websites are blocked and local opposition media outlets are being prevented from printing or broadcasting.

Weeks Of Tension

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. EU foreign-affairs chief Catherine Ashton also expressed concern about the violence, calling on all sides to show restraint.

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.

Kazakhstan, the current chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, expressed concern about the unrest and called for "calm and restraint on all sides." Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabaev said he had spoken on the phone with his Kyrgyz counterpart Kadyrbek Sarbaev.

Neighboring Uzbekistan reportedly increased security along its borders with Kyrgyzstan.

Kazakh authorities said they would take all necessary measures to reinforce security alongside the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border if the situation in the neighboring country escalated further.

"So far, the border is operating under its regular regime," Kenzhebulat Beknazarov, a spokesman for the Kazakh Committee for National Security, told reporters today. "However, the Kazakh border service is ready to take appropriate measures to reinforce the border if any threat to our national security occurs," he added.

Russia, which has a military base at Kant airport outside Bishkek, expressed concern about the ongoing tension in Kyrgyzstan. Moscow called on the Kyrgyz government not to use force against protesters to avoid bloodshed. The Interfax news agency quoted sources in Kant as saying Russian forces remain inside the base and that they had been put on a state of higher alert.

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.

RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service contributed to this report

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/Opposition_Protesters_March_Across_Kyrgyzstan/2004868.html

Copyright (c) 2010. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.