As Kyrgyz and Tajiks mark the anniversary of tragic border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that resulted in more than 100 people being killed, Kyrgyz National Security Committee chairman Kamchybek Tashiev has made threatening comments that have strained Bishkek-Dushanbe ties.
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Gulmira, a university instructor in Kyrgyzstan’s largest southern city, Osh, has been disaffected with the country’s politics for years.
“For a long time, the government has been unable to solve the problems of local business people because of organised criminal groups in Osh,” she complained when we spoke over the phone.
In January, Gulmira voted for Sadyr Japarov in the country’s presidential election, which the former convict turned interim PM and president won in a landslide, securing almost 80% of the vote.
In the wake of Kyrgyzstan’s highly contested parliamentary election last October, many observers have asked: how can Japarov, a nationalist politician who was sprung from prison during the chaos, be so popular despite his complete disregard for the rule of law and the constitution?