Kyrgyzstan is in chaos after protesters seize government buildings, free political prisoners
MOSCOW — The Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan plunged into political chaos Tuesday after opposition groups seized control of the Parliament and released their imprisoned leaders in protests over parliamentary elections they called rigged.
Under mounting pressure fromthe protesters, the country’s Central Electoral Commission annulled the results of the Sunday vote, a day after having awarded the majority of seats to two political parties with ties to the president, Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
Overnight, a small group of protesters broke away from the main body and tried to gain entry to the White House, the main government building that houses the Parliament and the presidential administration, in Bishkek, the capital. After the police tried to disperse them, hundreds more joined in the assault and soon took control, according to photos and video footage fromthe scene.
On Tuesday, the streets of Bishkek were littered with burned out cars and piles of stones, while photos emerged of the broken down gates to the White House. Inside the building, videos and photos showed broken glass and piles of debris, including government papers, with protesters wandering the offices. In the city, residents formed volunteer brigades to deter looters.
One person was killed and at least 680 injured during the protests, the country’s Health Ministry said.
Jeenbekov, who was elected to a 6-year term in 2017, said in a statement that the protesters had attempted to “illegally seize power, ” and he urged them to disperse peacefully. Jeenbekov also said he was willing to meet with the leaders of all 16 parties that had competed in the election, in an effort to ease the tensions.
But the president made no public appearances, his whereabouts were unknown, and itwas not clear that he was still in control of the situation, as protesters captured more government buildings, according to reports from local news websites, and started appointing their own government officials. The mayors of Bishkek, and the country’s second leading city, Osh, said they were resigning.
The opposition freed Jeenbekov’s predecessor, Almazbek Atambayev, who had been serving an 11-year sentence on corruption charges he had denounced as politically motivated. The opposition also freed several other incarcerated political figures, including two former prime ministers.