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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Around 100 killed in Kyrgyz unrest: opposition |
| 2010-04-08 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Kyrgyz troops opened fire on anti-government protesters on Wednesday outside the offices where President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was sheltering from clashes that have killed dozens of people according to a witness, 100 according to the opposition. As unrest swept the central Asian republic, the opposition took control of the national television, the prosecutors' office was set alight and state media reported that a deputy prime minister was held hostage in the remote northwest. The riots were the culmination of spiraling protests in the Central Asian nation with the opposition demanding Bakiyev's resignation and accusing his government of rights violations, authoritarianism and economic mismanagement. Despite arresting three leading opposition figures and declaring a state of emergency, the authorities failed to prevent the rebels from rapidly taking control of some of the main levers of power. A health ministry official said 19 people had died, many from gunshot wounds, and almost 200 were injured. "Most are young people under the age of 30," the official, Larisa Kachibekova, told AFP. "According to our count, around 100 people have been killed in the disorder," opposition leader Omurbek Tekebayev said, speaking during an address to the nation on a state television channel seized by opposition supporters during riots earlier Wednesday. He called for Bakiyev's government to step down. "The leaders of the opposition have held negotiations with the head of the Kyrgyz government (Prime Minister) Daniyar Usenov," Tekebayev said in a televised address. "Our only goal is that they relinquish their authority." "What kind of negotiations with the government can we talk about when they are killing our people?" prominent opposition and human rights campaigner Toktoaim Umetaliyeza told Reuters. |
| Posted by:Fred |