KYRYZSTAN: Crowd in Bishkek central square demands the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Felix Kulov

Record ID: 214528

  • Title: KYRYZSTAN: Crowd in Bishkek central square demands the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Felix Kulov
  • Date: 22nd October 2005
  • Summary: KYRGYZ INTERIOR MINISTER MURAT SULTARINOV AND MINISTRY OFFICIALS ON THE SQUARE CROWD OF YOUNG MEN ON THE SQUARE YOUNG MEN AROUND THE TENT WIDE OF THE SQUARE
  • Embargoed: 6th November 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABF6DF38F7PH3QI88TVYTBDA7Z
  • Story Text: Several hundred people gathered in the central square of Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek to demand the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Felix Kulov, following the prison riot which resulted in the killing by inmates of a parliament member. About 500 supporters of Tynychbek Akmatbayev, the deputy who was killed on Thursday in a struggle while inmates took him and his entourage hostage, set up a tent in the city's central square and were piling up wood in metal container, claiming they will not leave the square until PM Felix Kulov resigns. Riots have broken out at two of the impoverished Central Asian state's prisons this week. Following the killing of the MP and two other people, guards were pulled out of all the country's pisons on Friday (October 21) and security forces encircled the buildings to prevent inmates escaping. But according to Felix Kulov, in many prisons the staff have returned to work today. Kulov negotiated with the inmates in one of the prisons and persuaded then to hand over their weapons and the corpse of Akmatbayev and two others who were killed. At a news conference in Bishkek on Saturday (October 22), Kulovv called the rally on the city's main square an attempt to destabilise the situation in the republic. Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev is holding a series of emergency meetings with the heads of his power ministers today. A group of parliamentarians insisted to hold an emergency parliament session tomorrow to discuss the situation in the country, but it is still unclear weather the session will take place. The ex-Soviet state has lapsed into instability following violent protests that ousted former President Askar Akayev in March.
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