Kyrgyzstan is a very poor and yet fascinating Central Asian nation locked between China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. She has a very rich and ancient history with the Silk Road, has close ties to both the US and Russia, and given her location, like the tiny nation of Azerbaijan, is in the crossing of many great powers.
In an interesting crisis in Kyrgyzstan, the previous president, Almazbek Atambayev, has been arrested by his former friend and current President Sooronbai Jeenbekov in a drama that has consumed the nations while the major powers of the world have looked on according to a report:
Police in Kyrgyzstan detained the Central Asian nation’s former president Thursday following violent clashes with his supporters, a day after a previous attempt to arrest him left one police officer dead and nearly 80 people injured.
The violence has raised the threat of a new round of turmoil in the former Soviet nation, which borders China and hosts a Russian military air base. Kyrgyzstan’s first two presidents after independence were both driven from office by riots.
Almazbek Atambayev, who was in office from 2011 to 2017, accused his successor and protege, current President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, of fabricating false criminal charges against him to stifle criticism. He urged his supporters to rally Thursday in Bishkek to demand Jeenbekov’s resignation.
The first attempt by police to arrest Atambayev at his residence outside the capital failed late Wednesday after his supporters rushed to his defense and clashed with police. A police officer later died of his injuries at a hospital and 79 people were injured, according to official statements.
Atambayev’s supporters took six police officers as hostages, but released them Thursday.
Police returned in bigger numbers Thursday and used water cannons and stun grenades to overwhelm Atambayev’s supporters and arrest him. Atambayev was driven to the headquarters of the State National Security Committee in the capital.
About 1,000 Atambayev supporters later arrived in Bishkek and tried to rally outside the presidential office, but police quickly dispersed them with tear gas and stun grenades. Police also tightened controls on the city’s fringes and clashed with other pro-Atambayev supporters who were trying to drive into the capital.
Shopping malls and other businesses shut down Thursday, reflecting fears of widespread looting that accompanied earlier violence.
Atambayev dismissed a slew of charges, including corruption and the expropriation of property, as “absurd.” He said he fired several shots when police came to arrest him Wednesday, adding that he “tried not to hit people.” (source, source)
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