On 31 May the United Opposition planned to hold a Kurultaj, a traditional people’s assembly, in the region of Issyk-Kul. The event was planned within the framework of the pre-election campaign of oppositional presidential candidate Almazbek Atambaev (though he himself did not participate, as far as I know). Opposition politicians like Omurbek Tekebaev, Roza Otunbaeva or Bolot Sherniyazov were present and supposed to speak to the people and mobilize the electorate for the upcoming elections.
They did not succeed. Local authorities prevented them from holding the event, in the end the opposition leaders were escorted back to Bishkek held in custody by agents of the national secret service. About 150 – 200 people gathered in the town of Balykchy to see the famous politicians only to observe how local militia arrived at the spot and arrested some of the participants. The responsible head of the local militia, Kanybek Degembaev, refused from comments and didn’t give any reasons.
One day before, leaders of the opposition were already arrested in the town of Karakol. Tekebaev, whose car was stopped during a regular car check, actually managed to flee the arrest, jumping over a fence and hiding in the United Oppositions headquarters in Karakol. Even Roza Otunbaeva, who is protected from militia investigation and harassment by her parliamentary immunity, was taken into custody and transported from Karakol to Balykchy.
Tursunbek Akun, the Ombudsmen of the Kyrgyz Republic, was alarmed by the incidents and called on a thorough investigation to find those guilty in the unlawful arrests of the opposition activists and hindrance of the event by local authorities. He explained that the United Opposition informed the local authorities in time and fulfilled all legal conditions for holding such an event. In his opinion, this incident is a clear case of state repression towards the opposition. Quite an opposite opinion was announced by the director of the Institute for Strategic Analysis and Evaluation (of the president) Sergej Masaulov, who stated that such actions of the local authorities were the results of their way of doing things „like in the old days“ (po starinke). It had nothing to do with the central authorities who were working (and behaving?) professionally.
Of course! A likely explanation!
