Comments on: Nobody Likes a Critic…

By: Kuda

Kuda — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:06:17 +0000

Just read Timothy Garton Ash’s ‘The Magic Lantern’ – an account of some of the events in the 1989 Eastern European revolutions. He twice uses the quote:

“Those who start by storming Bastilles will end up building new Bastilles”

Couldn’t help but think that this rather summed up Bakiev’s regime.

Garton Ash goes on to detail the ingredients needed for a successful ‘revolution’:
“… an absolute insistance on non-violencewith the active, highly inventive use of mass civil disobedience, skillful appeals to Western media, public opinion and governments, and a readiness to negotiate and compromise with the power-holders, while refusing to be co-opted by them. It embraces occupation strikes and peaceful demonstrations, but also secret talks. The pressure of public protext is brought to bear, through an opposition elite, for the purpose of peaceful transfer of power by dialogue and compromise.”

Can anyone see any of the above in their crystal ball?

By: Sophia Humanista

Sophia Humanista — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:55:54 +0000

yes Kyrgyzstan’s has been plunging deeper int authoritarianism.
The people in KGZ know but dont care because they cant do anything. The government has been able to intimidate the population by holding strong each of the vital sectors – police, the economy, the judiciary and the government ministries. Not to mention they liaisons they have created with dubious businessmen with their own “militia’s”

What about the students? DO they care? are they afraid?
maybe readers of this article could help spreading virtual discontent by joining this anti-Bakiyev facebook group. Its not a lot, but its a beginning.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000606161725#/group.php?gid=216173572806&ref=mf

By: Alex Visotzky

Alex Visotzky — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:52:41 +0000

Edil–is there some way I can get in contact with you? Shoot me an e-mail with your e-mail if you don’t mind, I want to ask you some stuff about Kyrgyzstan.
Thanks.

By: Edil B.

Edil B. — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:17:27 +0000

Oh where do we start?
Hike in energy and communal tarrifs, controversial ‘constitutional reform’ – de facto coup d’etat, trials of several opposition leaders expected to end in jailing – I point the finger to Жаныш Бакиев, the head of the presidential secret service who has the cart blanche from his brother and is said to have several criminilized mini death squads. Before they used criminals, hence the special forces handgun found on top contract killer now arrested Жумабек Закирбаев. Now they use the criminalized elements within the security services. Most visible case is the murder of Bakiev’s former head of administration Медет Садыркулов this spring.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:52:11 +0000

Thanks for the update, Edil. Why do you think there’s been such an explosion of attacks over the last week?

By: Edil B.

Edil B. — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:15:39 +0000

The latest attack on Gennady Pavlyuk confirms the pattern of well orchestrated campaign against the most visible Russian journalists in Kyrgyzstan. Nathan, keep up the good work!

By: Prithvi

Prithvi — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:18:46 +0000

It makes me wonder what their positions are on their own governments. Perhaps criticism of the Russian federation is implied through their criticism of the Kyrgyz government?

By: Dafydd

Dafydd — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:03:16 +0000

This may be a really dumb thought, but is there a possibility that someone in Russia thought that journalistic freedom was somewhat overrated and kind of waved this thing through?

By: Nathan

Nathan — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:39:04 +0000

I really don’t think Russia would do anything more than threaten not to make loans it wouldn’t make anyway. But it seems like there’s a glaring lack of the cautiousness toward Russia that one usually sees out of the Kyrgyz government. I’ll admit that I haven’t been paying the closest attention, but I get the sense that since the summer at least, Bakiev’s government has been more confident about its ability to act without concern for how Russia will react. (And the Zatoka situation probably communicated that Russia’s reaction will “fix” the situation.)

By: Edil B.

Edil B. — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:15:57 +0000

No, there is no concern and there is won’t be any blowback. Russia simply doesn’t care. And what could it do?

Though, Bakievites are too trying to spin the story as if some ‘third parties’ are trying to provoke discord with Russia.

Yeah, right!