Opposition Seizes Kyrgyz Government Building
Dramatic scenes as opposition supporters rush “White House” and president reportedly offers his resignation.
Opposition Seizes Kyrgyz Government Building
Dramatic scenes as opposition supporters rush “White House” and president reportedly offers his resignation.
Opposition supporters are in control of the White House, the main government building in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. Unconfirmed reports from local media say President Askar Akaev has offered to step down.
Leaders of the opposition announced an emergency meeting of the outgoing parliament for the evening of March 24.
Between 1,000 and 2,000 people stormed the building after crowds of protesters built up on the square outside on March 24.
There were scuffles as the crowds tried to break through the lines of police forming a cordon around the government office. But the protesters forced their way through, climbed over a fence, and took over the building.
Many of the police on duty did not put up much resistance, and some dropped their riot shields and helmets on the ground before leaving their posts. Armoured personnel carriers remained stationary as people threw rocks; some crews abandoned their vehicles.
Most of the government staff working in the building left, as protesters made their way up to the seventh floor where Akaev’s office is located. They hung out banners and threw out some furniture.
Inside the government building, IWPR contributors saw several senior officials surrounded by the crowd. The head of the National Security Service, Kalyk Imankulov, Defence Minister Esen Topoev, National Guard commander Abdygul Chotbaev, and the deputy head of presidential administration, Bolot Januzakov, were captured by the protesters.
IWPR contributors saw demonstrators attempting to beat Imankulov and Topoev, but the latter was soon released and the former subsequently escaped.
Demonstrators said Januzakov and Chotbaev were badly beaten, and the former was taken to hospital.
Fresh security forces and ambulances were brought in but stationed behind the building, away from the focus of the protests.
The president was not in the government building when it was stormed, and was instead reportedly at his residence outside Bishkek. According to unconfirmed reports, members of the Akaev family were taken to the Russian military airbase near the capital.
Opposition leader Adakhan Madumarov told IWPR that late on March 23, Akaev refused to meet a delegation of five deputies from the incoming parliament, who offered to initiate negotiations between the opposition and the authorities. The move followed talks between deputies and the opposition at Bishkek’s Hyatt hotel.
On March 24, some members of parliament issued a call on national TV for the opposition and president to begin a dialogue.
The demonstrators included many residents of Bishkek – but among those IWPR spoke to, a good number were originally from Jalalabad in the south and were working as market traders in the capital. They had been joined by opposition supporters who had managed to make the trip from Jalalabad in recent days.
Earlier in the morning the crowds were addressed by opposition leaders Adakhan Madumarov, Roza Otunbaeva and Ismail Isakov. Acting Minister of Interior Keneshbek Duyshebaev – whom Akaev appointed only the previous day - attempted to talk to the demonstrators but was hissed off the stage.
At 5 pm local time, the state-run Kyrgyz National Television announced it would from now on provide broadcast time to all political forces and promised that there would be no censorship.. The broadcaster has been criticised for one-sided coverage of the recent disturbances.
Several opposition leaders then appeared live on KTR television to announce that the outgoing parliament (rather than the recently-elected body) would convene the next day for a joint meeting with the supreme court and the Central Election Commission.
The time of the meeting was later brought forward to 8 pm on March 24.
Felix Kulov, a leading political figure who was given a ten-year jail term in 2002, was freed by some 300 opposition supporters from the Moldavanovka prison near Bishkek.
Brought back to the city, he appeared on KTR TV to call for order to be maintained so as to prevent violence. He added that he was aware the authorities had agents provocateurs, and warned that he knew them all by name, and they would be punished if they attempted to stir up trouble. He referred in particular to a group of men in plain clothes wearing identical white baseball caps who attacked participants in a Bishkek rally on March 23.
Leila Saralaeva is an independent journalist in Bishkek. Sultan Jumagulov is a BBC correspondent in Bishkek. Ainagul Abddrakhmanova is IWPR programme coordinator in Kyrgyzstan. Sultan Kanazarov, a correspondent for Radio Azattyk (the Kyrgyz service of RFE/RL) also contributed to this report.
