OSCE Under Fire for Police Support Project

The OSCE has come under criticism for agreeing a support programme for the Kyrgyz police, which used force to disperse crowds of protesters on April 19.



On April 23, the Kyrgyz interior ministry issued a statement saying the OSCE is to invest around one million euros a year in a project to reform law-enforcement in Kyrgyzstan.



The OSCE has provided assistance to the Kyrgyz police since August 2003, allocating funds for technical equipment, training in modern crowd control techniques, and how to engage with the public.



On April 19, the ninth day of an opposition demonstration calling for an early presidential election, some protesters threw stones and bottles at police guarding the main government building in central Bishkek. In response, riot police used tear gas, batons and stun grenades to disperse the crowd. As a result, seven policemen and six civilians needed medical attention.



Emil Juraev, deputy director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, says the training provided so far had helped the police avoid more casualties on both sides.



“I think it’s something of a tribute to the OSCE that the police have learned how to handle situations like the April demonstrations more or less effectively, without using excessive force and without [too many] casualties,” he said.



Kurmanbek Osmonov, head of the Supreme Court, said the police might have used firearms to disperse the crowd and caused more casualties if they not acquired and skills and equipment to handle things differently from the OSCE project.



In 2002, the police used firearms to break up an opposition demonstration in the Aksy area of southern Kyrgyzstan, leaving six people dead and dozens injured.



“In any democratic society, riot equipment [eg. tear gas] is used against citizens who disturb the peace and pose a threat to others,” said Osmonov.



Tolekan Ismailova, head of the Civil Society against Corruption group, shares this view, saying the OSCE’s involvement is gradually changing the face of the Kyrgyz police.



“On April 19, it was OSCE training that made the police act professionally and appropriately. They didn’t even respond to the protesters’ aggression,” she said.



But according to opposition member of parliament Kubatbek Baibolov, the OSCE should concentrate more on systemic reforms - improving police recruitment and offering logistical support such as transport, buildings and computers.



“There is no need to provide them with riot equipment. That will only give them an excuse, as was the case on April 19, to use it disperse peaceful citizens, violating their right to demonstrate and march,” he said.



According to Cholpon Jakupova, head of the Adilet law firm, who took part in the opposition protests, the police operation on April 19 was poorly implemented.



“Policemen don’t even know what circumstances justify the use of riot equipment against protesters. The use of [teargas and stun grenades] that day was a gross violation of civil rights,” she said.



Since the OSCE provided police with the training and equipment to break up the demonstration, it should now assess what happened and point out the failings in the police reaction, she said.



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)