Kyrgyzstan:

• From Voice of Russia: Kyrgyzstan will close the US Manas Transit Center near Bishkek by 2014.
• From NEWS BCM (Russian website): Gazprom to extract gas in Kyrgyzstan
• From Trend News Agency: Two Kyrgyz Presidential Candidates fail Kyrgyz language test. The new provisional government upon taking over power from former President Bakiev made a big deal that each candidate know their native language: Kyrgyz. The candidates to fail are: leader of the Green Party of Kyrgyzstan Erkin Bulekbayev and Tolubay bank’s committee of directors’ member Seyitbek Bayguttiyev. The leader of Meken Intamagi party leader Temirbek Asanbekov was the first who passed the official language test.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on a similar incident four days ago where a 59 year old woman was exposed to the contagion.

Thus far this year, Tajikistan has detained 76 Islamists citing connections to banned groups.

There were three questions on the ballot: 1.) Should Roza Otunbayeva remain President until 2011? 2.) Should Kyrgyzstan adopt a Parliamentary style of government?  and 3.) would approve the new Constitution.  International and independent observers including the UN, the OSCE and Russian observers said that the referendum was peaceful and free and fair.

However, the opposition does not see it that way. The leader of the Communist Party says the results of the referendum were falsified. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev criticized the government by stating that he does not believe that Kyrgyzstan will succeed with a Parliamentary government. I kinda agree with him. Kyrgyz communities and all of the Central Asia for that matter have a clan structure. Authoritarianism is a residual effect left over from Soviet Times. The Soviet-lifestyle has yet to die out and it is the only way of life some people know.

I think it is great that the Central Asia nations are beginning to develop a new mindset.

So what is Russia’s motivation here? Is Russia retaliating against Belarus for harboring Bakiev? Or is this just a string of events that will contribute to the decline in Russian-Belarussian relations?

His reasons for ethnic cleansing:

1. Doors marked with ethnicity. 

Christian Science Monitor posted an article, “Kyrgyzstan riots led to ethnic cleansing; government blames Bakiyev” They reason that ethnic cleansing has taken place because Uzbeks were killed and that the deaths of Kyrgyz and Uzbeks will shift the demographics of the country and will affect the country’s internal stability for years to come. Their reasons are:

1. Ethnic violence between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks; 2. People living in Osh are traumatized; 3. It is a growing humanitarian catastrophe and the violence has split the communities; 4. Actions, whether planned or not, have inflamed the ethnic tension in the Ferghana Valley. None of this points of ethnic cleansing.

Nothing these two articles have stated point to any evidence or indication of ethnic cleansing. Many other articles similar to these fail to mention any evidence. The Uzbeks did suffer a great deal and I feel for them, but the Kyrgyz people were killed and Kyrgyz communities have suffered. Even though the Uzbeks in the Kyrgyz south suffered more losses than Kyrgyz accordings to news reports, Uzbek citizens of Osh and in the Ferghana Valley were willing and active participants in the early stages of fighting. No one knows how many Kyrgyz are dead versus the number of Uzbeks dead.

 What happened in Kyrgyzstan is terrible and is a setback for the formation of democracy and human rights in Central Asia and the post-Soviet sphere. In addition to that, I think reporters, scholars, government officials really need to examine the aspects of the violence before calling it ethnic cleansing. The UN Commission defined the criteria for ethnic cleansing: “the planned deliberate removal from a specific territory, persons of a particular ethnic group, by force or intimidation, in order to render that area ethnically homogenous.”  Ethnic cleansing is more of a popular transfer. Uzbeks were murdered not deported. Kyrgyz were murdered. One can argue that the Kyrygz peoples have suffered from ethnic cleansing as they were attacked specifically for being Kyrgyz as the southern portion of the country is largely Uzbek.

From what we know in about the situation in Kyrgyzstan and the fate of the Uzbek population is that the interim government believes that outside forces are at work to undermine the authority of the interim government.  There are no signs that the Kyrgyz population wanted the Uzbeks out to make Osh and Jalal-Abad Uzbek free. The forcing out of Uzbeks was caused by fear and is a byproduct of the violence.  Many Uzbeks fled on their own to Uzbekistan and many chose to stay despite the closing of the Uzbek border and the Uzbek government refusing to accept more refugees. Whoever planned this (if it was planned) had the goal in mind to push out and weaken the interim government not to make the area homogeneous. If this were true, why are not the Tajiks who occupy the Sokh enclave being forced out?  If the existing Kyrgyz government had it their way the Tajiks would be gone because Kubatbek Baibolov, a Kyrgyz official blamed Tajiks for the violence. I think calling the violence ethnic cleansing is a exaggeration if not an outright lie.

What? What does London have to do with Manas? Oh I get it, Kyrgyzstan brilliant interim government thinks that they can pressure the United States to pressure London by giving up Bakiev. It ain’t gonna happen. The United States has been taking steps preparing for such an event. The United States has been aligning itself more with Uzbekistan in the last few years. Supporting Afghanistan is already underway there.

Here is the Kyrgyz reasoning for pulling such a stunt:

Kyrgyzstan‘s deputy leader of the provisional government, Azimbek Beknazarov, said: “England never gives up people who arrive on its territory. But since England and the US fight terrorism and the arrangement with the airbase is one of the elements of that fight, then they must give over Maxim Bakiyev.”

Total stupidity. The PG needs to get a cohesive message, because they are making themselves look like fools.

Like I said before, Maksim is not likely to be sent back because Roza Otunbayeva and her weak government are making the reasons for having Maksim extradited more personal than criminal. Experts in the UK is more than aware of the penalties that are associated with terrorism in the Central Asia region. It is also quite apparent that Maksim will not receive a fair trial.

The Otunbayeva government is also pushing for Interpol to list his father, Kurmanbek Bakiev, as a wanted criminal so he can be extradited as well. It is not likely to occur as the motivation to have him extradited is political.

This article from the Red Cross published by the Washington Times states that

Kyrgyz deputy security chief Kubat Baibalov said Tuesday that a trained group of men from neighboring Tajikistan drove around in a car with tinted windows and opened fire on both Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in Osh last week to spark violence between the two groups. They were employed by people close to the Bakiyev family who have been expelled from power,” Mr. Baibalov said. He gave no further details.

And…

Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, told reporters in Geneva there was evidence the violence was coordinated and began with five simultaneous attacks in Osh by men wearing ski masks. Navi Pillay, the high commissioner, also said the fighting “appears to be orchestrated, targeted and well-planned” and urged authorities to act before it spread further.

The government of the Republic of Tajikistan denies such claims and resents the idea that Mr. Baibolov would even suggest that Tajiks are involved. This relates to the post prior to this one in that many believe foreign forces are at work in the country.