Anti-government protests continue following killing of deputy

Rival groups held demonstrations on Tuesday in the centre of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. One group, about 300 strong, was made up of relatives and supporters of Tynychbek Akmatbaev, a member of parliament killed last week by inmates during a visit to a prison near the capital. They called for the resignation of the country’s prime minister, Felix Kulov, who they believe was behind the killing. It was the fourth day of protest in front of the nation’s parliament building. Akmatbaev is the third member of parliament to have been killed in Kyrgyzstan after the so-called tulip revolution in March that ousted long-time leader Askar Akayev. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev gave Kulov the prime minister's job as part of a deal that secured his victory in July's presidential election. Those demanding Kulov’s resignation said the prime minister had connections with the Chechen mafia in Kyrgyzstan and was close to Aziz Batukaev, a prominent criminal gang currently in jail. Batukaev is believed to have some influence in Kyrgyzstan’s prisons and the protesters allege he was involved in Akmatbaev’s slaying. Other anti-government protesters - some of whom have formed themselves into a tented camp close to the central square – were complaining about a lack of improvement in the country’s economy and security situation since Akayev’s ouster. “Fifty of us arrived. We’ve heard from our people that there’s a protest. We are sick and tired of the unstable situation in the country, we want someone to put an end to the chaos. Why after the revolution [in March] hasn’t the situation improved?”, one elderly man from the southern city of Osh, said. The protest underlines the political tensions that persist in Kyrgyzstan in the wake of this year's uprising. Rysbek Akmatbaev, brother of the killed MP, has become one of the focal points for the anti-government protests. He has set up a tent close to the square where he holds meetings with regional representatives, trying to garner support. Supporters with binoculars stand close to the tent scanning the parliament’s windows and roof for possible snipers. A pre-recorded tape plays “Kulov get out!” loudly through a public address system every minute or so. About 2,000 people, most of them young Kyrgyz men, line up near the sound system in an organised show of strength. On the other side of the square stood around 400 government supporters, shouting slogans supporting Kulov. The demonstrators were outraged that their leader was being openly accused of murder and urged the legal system to decide who was responsible for last week’s killing. President Kulmanbek Bakiyev suggested that he would not rule out firing Kulov or other senior government officials over the killing of the deputy. “If the prime minister or any other minister or official has taken a wrong decision, then an appropriate decision will be taken,” Bakiyev said in a statement.