Former Kyrgyz President Atambayev Detained as Military Hardware Deployed in Bishkek. Is the Revolution Over?
A curfew has been imposed in the Kyrgyz capital and mass events have been banned.
On Saturday, October 10, special forces detained Kyrgyzstan's 4th President Almazbek Atambayev at his residence in Koy-Tash near Bishkek. He led the country from 2011 to 2017. In June 2020 he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for unlawfully releasing a criminal authority. On the night of October 6 he was freed during mass protests, and he is now charged with organizing mass riots.
Today, under the state of emergency, military hardware was brought into Bishkek: tanks, armored personnel carriers, military trucks, and armored and patrol vehicles. Traffic in the city center has been blocked, and police have returned to the city. For several days before that, volunteers had been keeping order.
On Friday, October 9, acting President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov signed a decree deploying military units and hardware to Bishkek, which will be tasked with "organizing checkpoints, enforcing law and order, protecting civilians, and preventing armed clashes."
A curfew has been introduced in Bishkek from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. All mass events, including marches and rallies, are banned. Alcohol sales are prohibited from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. The use of audio and video equipment is banned if it "fuels the situation." A special regime for entering and leaving the city has also been introduced.
The restrictions apply to everyone whose work is not related to the commandant's office. The decision was made by the new city commandant and Deputy Interior Minister Almaz Orozaliev under the state of emergency.
Among other things, the commandant's office may enlist citizens to help maintain law and order, temporarily evict people from dangerous areas, and suspend the activities of parties and public associations that "hinder the normalization of the situation."
The revolution in Kyrgyzstan began on Monday, October 5, when mass protests took place in Bishkek and other cities across the country after the results of the parliamentary elections were announced. Representatives of the losing parties did not accept the voting results and organized rallies.
During the protests, activists seized the parliament building and the presidential administration. They then freed former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and other former senior officials from prison.
The Kyrgyz government has already resigned, and the Central Election Commission has annulled the voting results. Acting President Sooronbay Jeenbekov has retained power. He has announced the need for new parliamentary elections, after which he is reportedly ready to step down himself.
The Kyrgyz Ministry of Health reported 1,218 people injured in the protests, more than 200 of whom required hospitalization. Bishkek's city hall estimated the damage to the city at $213,000.
Russian Attacks in Dnipropetrovsk Region: Two Killed, Seven Injured
Defense Forces Strike Four Russian Drone Control Points in Past Day, Including in Berdiansk
Britain Threatens Sanctions on Kremlin-Linked People; Poland Ready to Hand Ukraine Ammunition
Russia says it has completed "planned exercises" in the Black Sea
MVD: Fake Riots With Prop Blood Were Being Prepared Near Presidential Office
Law Enforcers Name Another Klitschko Deputy as Suspect
Berlin Holds Protest Against War in Ukraine; EU Prepares for Possible Russian Halt of Gas Supplies
North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Over Record Distance in Five Years
Irish Fishermen Force Russia to Postpone Naval Drills
US sanctions in case of invasion of Ukraine could completely destroy Russia's economy, NYT reports
