Police Action Against Protesters Fuels Resentment

The use of force to break up protests in Kyrgyzstan is bad for the government’s image and in any case is not conducive to resolving disputes, say NBCentralAsia observers.



The latest incident began when Prime Minister Almaz Atambaev was visiting the northern Talas region on May 26, and announced that the government had given the go-ahead to a gold mine at Jeruy but ordered work at the Andash mine to cease.



Local residents who have been protesting against the development of both mines for the past six months were unhappy with the decision and blocked the highway leading to the capital Bishkek when the prime minister was about to set off back there.



When police used force to clear the road, local people attacked them and threw stones at the convoy of vehicles carrying the prime minister. Several policemen were injured and there was damage to the government cars. Police detained eight local activists.



People from several villages in the Talas region have been protesting against plans to mine gold in the area since December, when they blocked the road to Jeruy for the first time. They are demanding compensation as they argue that the mine would be a threat to human health in the event of a chemical spill, and they fear losing pasture land.



In February and April this year, local residents blocked the road leading to the mine on two more occasions, but each time they gave way after negotiations.



However, on May 16, around 1,000 protesters forced their way onto the Jeruy gold mine site, so that work there was halted until May 28.



Jyrgalbek Turdukojoev, a representative from the NGO Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, believes the use of force to disperse protestors on May 26 was illegal and that the demonstration was justified.



“They are demanding that an environmental study take place beforehand so that there is a…. justification for working the mine,” he said.



According to lawyer Kayrat Osmonaliev, any use of force should be “justifiable and proportionate to the natire of the threat”.



“I don’t think the situation in Talas was critical enough to warrant the use of harsh measures. The people of Talas people may unite, and there could be further violence,” he said.



A backlash is especially likely since Talas is a politically active and pro-opposition region, Osmonaliev said.



Legal expert Gulnara Iskakova believes the use of force in Talas did good to Prime Minister Atambaev’s reputation, at a time when the electorate has less and less confidence in his government. When people are watching political developments so closely, resolving things by force is a bad move.



“They should have looked for common ground and compromises as a way towards a non-violent solution to the problems at Jeruy,” she said.



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