Ben Paarman sends the following from a senior employee of a foreign NGO.
- Protests are currently happening in Osh, Jalalabad, Batken, Talas, and Toktogul.
- Tensions are rising in Balykchy (east end of Lake Issyk Kul) and Naryn. The source believes protests will erupt in both
- A state secretary has called for a rally for stability in the capital tomorrow at 2 p.m. The opposition will likely organize its own rally.
- Though information is still somewhat sketchy, it appears that two police officers were in fact killed in Jalalabad
- 3-4 KelKel activists have been arrested
- It is the opinion of the source that the opposition is united, ready to take over, and that Akayev will have to resign.
Update: Diderot’s Lounge says that TV is off and that opposition papers aren’t printing (via SiberianLight). Plenty of news stories I’m reading mention national television addresses though, I’m skeptical.
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Nathan is the Founding Editor and Publisher of Registan.net, which he launched in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with private and government clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural and political factors shape risks and opportunities and how organizations can adjust their strategic and operational plans to account for these variables. Nathan is currently seeking research, analysis, and consulting opportunities. He can be contacted via Twitter or email.
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{ 4 comments }
Yeah, when you see photos of rioters chasing a platoon of soldiers down a hill, you know the situation is out of control.
And when there are buildings on fire in the background, I’d say your “protest” have become functionally indistinguishable from “a riot”.
Good point. I was a bit shocked by the pictures I got sent by a friend of mine some while ago. Some of these guys don’t look like the prototypes of democrats… I really hope that there won’t be any more violence. I do really believe though that the violent crowds are a minority.
We’re in Paris since Friday! My holiday is being ruined as my husband has been glued to akipress for three days! Have you seen Russian coverage of this? It’s all mounted by a bunch of terrorists, you know!
God bless the Russian press! It makes for such good entertainment. But really, if one knows how to read it, it does often provide information that isn’t anywhere else.
Mitch is right though, and I’m a little disappointed to see that Otunbayeva and Imanaliev don’t plan on negotiating (see the stories Brian linked). The protesters need strong, responsible leaders. Bakiyev plans to negotiate though.