Bakiyev
Kyrgyzstan: Maxim Bakiyev faces prolonged legal battle in West
17.10.2012. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Legal pressure is building on Maxim Bakiyev, the son of Kyrgyzstan's former president.
Shortly after Bakiyev was detained in Great Britain on October 12, the American Embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek issued a statement saying the US government is seeking his extradition to "face trial in US federal court on serious charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and obstruction of justice."More ...
Shortly after Bakiyev was detained in Great Britain on October 12, the American Embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek issued a statement saying the US government is seeking his extradition to "face trial in US federal court on serious charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and obstruction of justice."More ...
Son of Kyrgyzstan’s deposed president arrested in London, faces possible US extradition
15.10.2012. Category:Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — The fugitive son of Kyrgyzstan’s deposed president has been arrested by police in London on a U.S. extradition warrant on suspicion of fraud, British and Kyrgyz authorities said Saturday.More ...
Cablegate: CANDID DISCUSSION WITH PRINCE ANDREW ON THE KYRGYZ
30.11.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
1. (C) SUMMARY: On October 28, the Ambassador participated in a two-hour brunch to brief HRH the Duke of York ahead of his meetings with the Kyrgyz Prime Minister and other high-level officials. She was the only non-subject of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth invited to participate by the British Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic. Other participants included major British investors in Kyrgyzstan and the Canadian operator of XXXXXXXX. The discussion covered the investment climate for Western firms in the Kyrgyz Republic, the problem of corruption, the revival of the “Great Game,” Russian and Chinese influence in the country, and the Prince’s personal views on promoting British economic interests. Astonishingly candid, the discussion at times verged on the rude (from the British side). END SUMMARY.More ...
Did Bakiev’s government try to milk Manas Airbase money out of China?
30.11.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Remember all that hubub in 2009 about the possible closure of the Manas Airbase? Well, WikiLeaks reveals, so to speak, the Chinese view on the matter, albeit via American eyes.
Arguably, it appears the Kyrgyz officials were trying to slyly induce China into giving them additional cash — or, conversely, that there was some talk of a deal, which the Americans sniffed out and confronted the Chinese about. The Chinese Ambassador seems rather frank in this account, talking about unemployment and discontent in his country, as well as the resentment China felt over the fate of Guantanamo Bay’s Uighur prisoners (”imply[ing] that the Guantanamo situation had made China look for ways to hit back at the U.S.”)
Here’s the digital diplomatic cable in full text, with a link back to the WikiLeaks site:More ...
Arguably, it appears the Kyrgyz officials were trying to slyly induce China into giving them additional cash — or, conversely, that there was some talk of a deal, which the Americans sniffed out and confronted the Chinese about. The Chinese Ambassador seems rather frank in this account, talking about unemployment and discontent in his country, as well as the resentment China felt over the fate of Guantanamo Bay’s Uighur prisoners (”imply[ing] that the Guantanamo situation had made China look for ways to hit back at the U.S.”)
Here’s the digital diplomatic cable in full text, with a link back to the WikiLeaks site:More ...
US awards Kyrgyzstan contract to company probed by Congress
04.11.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
The U.S. Defense Department has awarded the Mina Corporation a $315 million jet fuel contract at a key U.S. air force base in Kyrgyzstan, after a congressional investigation stalled the deal.More ...
The White House, the Pentagon, and Central Asia
04.11.2010. Category:Central Asia
Following the April revolution in Kyrgyzstan, the nation’s new political leaders were virtually unanimous in one criticism of the United States: “All they care about is that air base.” The charge was validated by the personal testimony of President Akayev’s ambassador to Washington, who negotiated the terms of the air base deal. The Americans used to raise issues of human rights and democracy with us, he wrote. But once the base was in place, that was it. White House advisor Michael McFaul has pushed back, insisting that Washington has always cared about a variety of issues, and that military concerns are only a piece of the agenda.More ...
Belarus rejects second Bakiyev extradition request
31.08.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
RIA Novosti - Belarus has refused for the second time a request to extradite the ousted Kyrgyz president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the Kyrgyz prosecutor general said on Friday.More ...
Моя миссия - вернуть в Киргизию капиталы, вывезенные Бакиевым
31.08.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
В Бишкеке с 25 по 29 августа побывала немногочисленная делегация из Европы. Ее основная цель - помочь вернуть в Киргизию капиталы, вывезенные из страны семьей Бакиева. В составе делегации - депутат бундестага от партии "зеленых" Виола фон Крамон (Viola von Cramon), которая в ходе визита пообщалась с действующим президентом Киргизии Розой Отунбаевой. Об итогах встречи и своих наблюдениях она рассказала в интервью Deutsche Welle. More ...
The void in Asia's heart
31.08.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
There is a hole in the map of Central Asia where Kyrgyzstan used to be. A country once considered an outpost of relative tolerance and democracy in a region of dysfunctional authoritarian regimes is today a deeply divided, practically failed, state. If the international response to its descent into political chaos is not swift and bold, the consequences will be disastrous.More ...
Bakiyev sought
17.06.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan's interim government has stepped up pressure on Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the former president, whom it suspects of fomenting the recent ethnic clashes in the country, write Charles Clover in Moscow and James Boxell in London.
The government is seeking to have Mr Bakiyev, who fled the country on April 7 after a violent coup, and his son extradited to Bishkek to face charges of terrorism and mass murder.
Officials accuse Mr Bakiyev of planning the violence in the cities of Osh and Jalalabad on June 10. Mr Bakiyev is in exile in Belarus, which has refused to extradite him.
Mr Bakiyev's son Maksim was detained by border police in Britain on Sunday, but the circumstances are unclear.
He reportedly sought political asylum. UK officials said he would only be formally arrested once an extradition had been agreed with Kyrgyzstan.
The elder Mr Bakiyev denies taking part in any plot. The younger could not be reached for comment.
Financial Times
The government is seeking to have Mr Bakiyev, who fled the country on April 7 after a violent coup, and his son extradited to Bishkek to face charges of terrorism and mass murder.
Officials accuse Mr Bakiyev of planning the violence in the cities of Osh and Jalalabad on June 10. Mr Bakiyev is in exile in Belarus, which has refused to extradite him.
Mr Bakiyev's son Maksim was detained by border police in Britain on Sunday, but the circumstances are unclear.
He reportedly sought political asylum. UK officials said he would only be formally arrested once an extradition had been agreed with Kyrgyzstan.
The elder Mr Bakiyev denies taking part in any plot. The younger could not be reached for comment.
Financial Times
US Congress Hearing on Kyrgyzstan
23.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
After the Subcommttee Hearing at the US Congress, the journalist Steve LeVine interviewed some of the experts who gave a testimony.
New York-based lawyer Scott Horton, asserts that, if the precise same fuels contract had involved a U.S. commercial entity, it would be subject to investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.
Alexander Cooley, a Columbia University professor who has studied the Manas base as part of a look at numerous U.S. bases around the world, called the fuel scandal a problem both of local Kyrgyz politics and U.S. national security. He said that Kyrgyz politicians are certain to seize on the military base as an issue in October presidential elections. If the fuel scandal isn't resolved by then -- meaning if the U.S. hasn't fessed up -- Cooley suggested that the base could be in trouble.
Sam Patten, who watches Eurasia for Freedom House, a New York-based NGO, also raised the issue of the Embassy failing to engage with the opposition, but went further and argued that the State Department had ultimately failed to observe U.S. law obligating it to encourage democracy. Patten asserted that the State Department needs to watch more closely, because uprisings are bound to spread regionally. "The question in Uzbekistan isn't if revolution will happen, but when it will happen," Patten told the committee.
Oil and Glory
New York-based lawyer Scott Horton, asserts that, if the precise same fuels contract had involved a U.S. commercial entity, it would be subject to investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.
Alexander Cooley, a Columbia University professor who has studied the Manas base as part of a look at numerous U.S. bases around the world, called the fuel scandal a problem both of local Kyrgyz politics and U.S. national security. He said that Kyrgyz politicians are certain to seize on the military base as an issue in October presidential elections. If the fuel scandal isn't resolved by then -- meaning if the U.S. hasn't fessed up -- Cooley suggested that the base could be in trouble.
Sam Patten, who watches Eurasia for Freedom House, a New York-based NGO, also raised the issue of the Embassy failing to engage with the opposition, but went further and argued that the State Department had ultimately failed to observe U.S. law obligating it to encourage democracy. Patten asserted that the State Department needs to watch more closely, because uprisings are bound to spread regionally. "The question in Uzbekistan isn't if revolution will happen, but when it will happen," Patten told the committee.
Oil and Glory
Ousted leader leaves Kyrgyzstan
15.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Deposed Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has left the country on a plane for Kazakhstan.
His departure comes in the wake of a 7 April uprising that killed scores of people and forced him to flee the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.
He had been living in his home region of Jalalabad in the south of the country, trying to muster support.
Shots were fired earlier in the day at a rally in the south, where Mr Bakiyev had been addressing supporters.
Mr Bakiyev was said to have left the country for talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, according to Russian news agencies.
His motorcade was seen arriving at the airport in Jalalabad, before a plane departed on Thursday, AP news agency said.
BBC
His departure comes in the wake of a 7 April uprising that killed scores of people and forced him to flee the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.
He had been living in his home region of Jalalabad in the south of the country, trying to muster support.
Shots were fired earlier in the day at a rally in the south, where Mr Bakiyev had been addressing supporters.
Mr Bakiyev was said to have left the country for talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, according to Russian news agencies.
His motorcade was seen arriving at the airport in Jalalabad, before a plane departed on Thursday, AP news agency said.
BBC
Gunfire breaks up rally for deposed Kyrgyzstan president
15.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Gunfire broke out today at a rally where the deposed president of Kyrgyzstan was speaking to supporters. Kurmanbek Bakiyev was quickly hustled into a car and driven away, and there were no apparent injuries in the crowd.
The deposed Kyrgyzstan president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, greets supporters before his intended address in Osh. Photograph: Denis Sinyakov/ReutersMore ...
The deposed Kyrgyzstan president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, greets supporters before his intended address in Osh. Photograph: Denis Sinyakov/ReutersMore ...
Kyrgyztan's ousted leader Bakiyev 'must stand trial'
14.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
The interim leader of Kyrgyzstan has said ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev should stand trial over the recent deadly political unrest.
Roza Otunbayeva said Mr Bakiyev had "blood on his hands" and had missed his chance to leave the country.
Mr Bakiyev, currently in the south of the country, had said he was willing to resign if his safety was guaranteed.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned Kyrgyzstan is "on the brink of civil war".
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Roza Otunbayeva said Mr Bakiyev had "blood on his hands" and had missed his chance to leave the country.
Mr Bakiyev, currently in the south of the country, had said he was willing to resign if his safety was guaranteed.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned Kyrgyzstan is "on the brink of civil war".
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Kyrgyzstan coup: Bakiyev inching closer to leaving the country
14.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, pushed from power in the Kyrgyzstan coup last week, is nearing a deal to allow him and his family to leave the country, cooling concerns of further violence in the Central Asian nation, according to media reports from the capital Bishkek.
Sergei Grits/AP
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Sergei Grits/AP
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US Air Base contracts face scrutiny
14.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
The upheaval gripping Kyrgyzstan is disrupting the flow of troops and materials bound for Afghanistan. A Defense Department announcement stated that the American-operated Manas Transit Center, located outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, will remain closed to US military and contractor air traffic from April 8-12.More ...
Kulov returns to political stage
14.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
With Kyrgyzstan’s political situation still in flux, one of the lions of Kyrgyz politics in the post-Soviet era, Felix Kulov, is reemerging from the shadows. In an exclusive interview with EurasiaNet.org, Kulov counseled pragmatism as the provisional government wrestles with the present and starts pondering how to account for the past.More ...
U.S. voices concern as protests plunge Kyrgyzstan into chaos
08.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Opposition demonstrators appeared Wednesday to have seized power in Kyrgyzstan, which is host to an important U.S. military base, after a day of bloody clashes that left dozens dead and forced the Central Asian country's president to flee the capital.
Leaders of the opposition said they had taken over key installations in Bishkek and were forming a new government. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev flew to Osh, a regional city where he enjoys support, according to news reports. His plans were uncertain, as was his ability to command the country's security forces and reassert his authority.
The death toll of about 40 was likely to rise, health officials in Bishkek said, noting that hundreds of protesters were injured in the violence.More ...
Leaders of the opposition said they had taken over key installations in Bishkek and were forming a new government. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev flew to Osh, a regional city where he enjoys support, according to news reports. His plans were uncertain, as was his ability to command the country's security forces and reassert his authority.
The death toll of about 40 was likely to rise, health officials in Bishkek said, noting that hundreds of protesters were injured in the violence.More ...
Kyrgyzstan opposition seizes power after day of protests
08.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Opposition leaders in Kyrgyzstan today declared that they had seized power and had taken control of security headquarters, state television and various government buildings.
The declaration came a day after riot police shot dead at least 60 people and protesters attempted to storm the main government building in the capital, Bishkek.
The opposition leader, Roza Otunbayeva, called for President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to resign and said she planned to run an interim government for six months to draft a new constitution for the central Asian state.More ...
The declaration came a day after riot police shot dead at least 60 people and protesters attempted to storm the main government building in the capital, Bishkek.
The opposition leader, Roza Otunbayeva, called for President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to resign and said she planned to run an interim government for six months to draft a new constitution for the central Asian state.More ...
Kyrgyzstan’s Bakiyev offers to step down
13.04.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstan’s fugitive president, said he was ready to step down on Tuesday but only if the new interim government would guarantee his and his family’s personal safety, as tension mounted in this strategically-important Central Asian country.More ...
Kyrgyz leader says Western democracy unsuitable
23.03.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
AP-------Kyrgyzstan’s president said Tuesday that Western-style democracy has run its course in the ex-Soviet Central Asian country, prompting fears of a further decline in political freedoms.
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev told a national congress that democracy based on elections and individual human rights may no longer be suitable for Kyrgyzstan. He said "consultative democracy," envisaging dialogues with influential social groups, would be more in keeping with his country's traditions.More ...
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev told a national congress that democracy based on elections and individual human rights may no longer be suitable for Kyrgyzstan. He said "consultative democracy," envisaging dialogues with influential social groups, would be more in keeping with his country's traditions.More ...
Internet censorship: Kyrgyzstan blocks independent web-sites
10.03.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Today, since the early morning, internet users around Kyrgyzstan have been discussing blocking of a website of Information Agency Ferghana.Ru, popular independent web-site that is critical of Central Asian governments. Kyrgyz internet users say that Fergana.Ru, which was accessible in Kyrgyzstan users until today, has been blocked by most of the internet providers in Kyrgyzstan.More ...
US citizen a key player in alleged Italian telecom fraud
09.03.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
An apparently well-connected Soviet-born U.S. citizen has emerged as a key player in a massive Italian telecom fraud, according to court documents and published reports.
Rome Judge Aldo Morgigni has issued an arrest warrant for Eugene Gourevitch, believed to have been born in the Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan and who has reportedly held a U.S. passport since 1990, for alleged involvement in a fraud that is said to have siphoned an astonishing US$2.7 billion from the wholesale telephony divisions of Telecom Italia SpA and Fastweb SpA between 2003 and 2006.More ...
Rome Judge Aldo Morgigni has issued an arrest warrant for Eugene Gourevitch, believed to have been born in the Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan and who has reportedly held a U.S. passport since 1990, for alleged involvement in a fraud that is said to have siphoned an astonishing US$2.7 billion from the wholesale telephony divisions of Telecom Italia SpA and Fastweb SpA between 2003 and 2006.More ...
Moscow withholding promised aid to Bishkek
17.02.2010. Category:Kyrgyzstan
In February of 2009, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev traveled to Moscow and secured roughly $2.15 billion in economic assistance, apparently in a quid-pro-quo deal in which Kyrgyzstan took action to evict US and NATO forces from an air base outside Bishkek. Twelve months later, American troops are still in Kyrgyzstan, and Moscow is balking at disbursing the bulk of its pledged aid.More ...
No easy routes into Afghanistan
05.03.2009. Category:Kyrgyzstan
“WELCOME to Freedom’s Frontier,” reads a wooden sign at the pine-clad headquarters of America’s Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan. With its picnic tables, mountain views and community-outreach programmes, this site provides a tranquil vantage-point for the war in Afghanistan, just 90 minutes’ flight away. But Kyrgyzstan said in February that it was closing Manas, which the American-led coalition uses to ferry thousands of troops into Afghanistan each year and as a base for refuelling planes for combat aircraft.More ...
Kyrgyzstan says U.S. base closure is final
05.03.2009. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan will not reverse its decision to shut a U.S. military air base that was used by Washington for the war in Afghanistan, a spokesman for President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Thursday.
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Kyrgyzstan open to air base talks with U.S.
05.03.2009. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is ready for talks with the United States on the future of its Manas military air base, which is due to be shut down in six months, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.More ...