KGII Dispatch 6: The Battle of Bishkek March 24, 2005



Well, it has been quite a day. And the Opposition has won it. And your cousin, intrepid girl-reporter, was there on the scene, taking
pictures and running from the police. There are several stories involved leading up to this day, but let me start with what happened
today.


At 8:30 this morning, I met with my Conversation Class. For conversation, we talked about the events of the previous weekend,
which were that 20,000 people had massed in Jalal-abad and in Osh and taken over the Parliament buildings in both cities and burned
down the police station in Jalal-abad. They said Bishkek was next. Most of my students said it was about time. They were afraid of
the violence that might come with a revolution, but people here-angry over rigged Parliamentary elections-are ready for President
Akaev to step down.


After class, I had other work to do with other teachers at the university where I work. At about 12:00 noon, someone was
called on her cell phone with a message that 5,000 people were marching down Kiev Street toward the White House, which is about
two blocks away. It was reported they were carrying sticks and Molotov cocktails. The teachers quickly finished up what they were
doing and prepared to go home. They warned me to go home and stay inside.


But the Kyrgyz people are not by nature a violent sort. They had taken over Jalal-abad and Osh with almost no violence at
all, and the police had been almost entirely sympathetic to their cause. In the south, half the police joined the opposition and
the others just went home. So I really didn't expect much violence here. Besides, who can resist a revolution? I went home to
inform Alex of the excitement, and off we went.


Alex has been a houseguest of mine since he arrived from the States last Saturday. He has been trying to join his mother (my
colleague, Carol) in Jalal-abad, except the opposition has put rocks on the runway and are not allowing any flights in or out of
Jalal-abad.


We walked to Ala-Too Square, one block away, where the crowd had gathered. There were several thousand people on the square,
and more on the way. Their leaders were giving speeches from the base of the Lady Freedom statue on the square, which is one-
half block from the fenced and gated White House compound (also called the Presidential Palace).  The leaders would call for Akaev
and all his family and friends to leave the offices they had stolen in the last election, and the crowd would cheer wildly.


We watched five young men carry off a wounded friend, so we knew something else was going on a little further down the street, in
front of the Palace. We saw police in full riot gear, with helmets and carrying shields and billy-clubs. When they began to move
on the crowd in the square, many people began to run. By this time, two of my
students had
found us and were translating and helping us spot the action. Julia grabbed my arm and said, "Let's run!" By this time, people
were running into us, so it seemed like a good idea to go with the flow and we ran a half block until we all realized the
police had been engaged somewhere behind us. There was obviously quite a clash, because soon after, we saw members of the crowd
carrying police shields and flak jackets they had confiscated. Then the cavalry came galloping down Erkindik toward Chui-the main
street where all this was taking place. That caused a little stir in the crowd until we realized the cavalry was only 20 men
and horses, and the horses were pretty lathered up already. They stopped very near us and seemed to be trying to decide what to
do next. They certainly did not seem ready to attack, so I stepped into the middle of the street to get a couple close-up
pictures.


Then we saw what the horsemen had been sent to intercept. Another crowd of about a thousand people were marching down Chui to
join the opposition on the square. They were carrying banners and were armed with sticks. The horsemen turned and galloped off,
chased by young men throwing rocks and clumps of dirt. The crowd cheered. And then cheered
again for the
reinforcements who were marching past. I took pictures of several banners, including one in English that said, "Akaev, get
the fuck out!"


By this time, government forces were hugely outnumbered and everyone knew it. The opposition forces stormed the Presidential
Palace, destroyed the guard buildings, and broke into the Palace itself. Alex, my two students and I were cautiously
hanging back until we realized the day had been won by the opposition, who were welcoming everyone into the gated compound. So
we went inside the gates, taking pictures of kids climbing all over and investigating their newly acquired tanks.


Some of the mob, who were more drunk or more angry than others, had begun to smash windows and destroy property inside the
building. The crowd below started chanting to them, "Stop! Stop!" And they did. Others of the opposition-mostly young men and
women-were wearing t-shirts that said, "Peaceful Revolution" (in Russian), and were
guarding the
gates to take away stolen property from looters. They had a stack of telephones, computers, file drawers, flags and liquor bottles.
They would not allow anyone to leave the compound with stolen property.


During this time, inside the gated White House grounds, I encountered many people I knew from the University and elsewhere. We
would shake hands and hug each other. They seemed ecstatically happy. Then the speeches began on the White House steps. The
crowd surged forward and my students, no longer the least bit hesitant, grabbed my arms and pulled me forward too.


Their leaders called for a peaceful takeover of power. They called for Akaev and his circle of family and colleagues to
all leave office. They called for new elections. And they called for the opposition leader-Felix Kuloff, Akaev's former vice
president-to be released from prison. Akaev had him thrown in jail five years ago. When the speeches were over, we wandered around
the compound a bit more. And then we saw a troop of soldiers marching behind the grounds, outside the fence. We thought it
might be a good time to leave and went out through one of the smashed guard buildings.


As we watched the soldiers turn and march toward us, we realized they were unarmed. Their march through the crowd was an
unspoken announcement that they had surrendered their power.They filed past us in a quick march, but looked quite defeated. They
had not been successful in defending their post or their president, but how could they be? There were about 50 of them and we
were thousands. Besides, they were Kyrgyz and their hearts are probably more with the people than with their nominal leader.


There have been many events that have led up to this day. Most recently, blatant election fraud during the recent Parliamentary
run-off and election. Only two opposition candidates were elected, out of a field of more than 250 candidates. Many opposition
candidates were removed from the ballot just before the elections. In one region, 75% of the voters wrote "None of the above" on
their ballots. Akaev's son-a thoroughly disliked drunkard and scoundrel-won 80% of the vote in his region. Akaev's 23-year old
daughter-a beauty queen-was also elected. There were reports from observers of ballot-box stuffing in favor of Akaev's candidates.
And boxes full of ballots for opposition candidates were dumped down the long-drop toilets outside the voting polls. Consequently
the uprisings in Osh and Jalal-abad. Then, in an effort to frighten the opposition from doing the same in Bishkek, Akaev had 25
people arrested yesterday.


And that is just what's happened recently. Over the long haul, Kyrgyzstan has earned a position as one of the 25 most corrupt
nations on earth. Books written about the country say that it is impossible to do legitimate business in KG. There is more than
50% unemployment. And from my informal interviews, I'd say there is 99% hopelessness among the people. So long as corruption is
the way of life here, no one sees anything but a dismal future.


But that was yesterday. Today, Akaev has no choice but to resign. His cronies will go with him. People unfairly arrested will
be released from prison. There will be new elections. The people are happy, delighted, hopeful. Everyone is still outside as I
write this. They are in the square, in the parks, in the White House garden, with picnic lunches, with friends and comrades, hugging
everyone they see. Occasionally I hear bursts of cheering. They are happy for what they have done today, for having brought down a
corrupt and ruthless government armed with only sticks and courage. And they are at last hopeful that tomorrow will bring better
times and a better government. Let it be so.