Kyrgyzstan: State of emergency in Bishkek extended until October 21 /update 8

Event

The Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov announced on Monday, October 12, that the current state of emergency in Bishkek has been extended until October 21 following a week of unrest over a contested election.

On Saturday, October 10, security forces rearrested the former president, Almazbek Atambayev. Atambayev was freed by supporters during anti-government protests on Tuesday, October 6, from a prison where he was serving a sentence on corruption charges. A government spokesperson stated that he had been rearrested for inciting unrest. The detention comes during a series of political developments on Saturday. The parliamentary speaker, Myktybek Abdyldayev, resigned after serving less than a week in the post whilst Parliament voted Sadyr Japarov into the post of prime minister replacing Kubatbek Boronov who resigned on Wednesday, October 7.

On Saturday, a nightly curfew between 21:00 - 05:00 (local time) was also put in place in Bishkek as part of the ongoing nationwide state of emergency. Security checkpoints have also been erected around the city. Movement in and out of the city is also restricted.

Context

Multiple opposition groups have publicly contested the results of the country's parliamentary election on Sunday, October 4, with only four of 16 registered parties having passed the seven percent vote-share threshold in order to gain seats in the legislature. Three of the four parties that were elected to the new parliament had close ties to President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, and opposition groups have accused the government of vote-buying and intimidation during the election campaign, allegations which international monitors have stated are credible. Over 1200 people have been injured and one person has been killed in mass protests following the election results, which included the seizure of a number of government buildings by various opposition factions. Police have used water cannon, stun grenades, and tear gas to disperse crowds.

On Tuesday, October 6, the results of the poll were subsequently annulled by the election commission and Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov resigned, but this has failed to placate opposition groups. President Jeenbekov also dismissed a number of security advisors who either supported opposition groups or failed to intervene during the unrest, in addition to stating that he would resign once a new government comes to power. Opposition groups have so far remained largely divided and are unable to agree on who would lead any provisional government.

Advice

Those in Kyrgyzstan are advised to monitor developments, avoid demonstrations and political gatherings, avoid discussing politically sensitive topics in public or via social media, and heed any directives issued by local authorities.