- Tweeter
republish
In Kyrgyzstan, arrests of supporters of former President Almazbek Atambayev have increased since he was placed in pre-trial detention on 8 August. The operation lasted almost 24 hours, killed one person and injured more than a hundred. Accused among others of corruption, the former head of state denies the facts. While Atambayev was his only opponent, observers fear possible authoritarian drifts.
With our correspondent in Bishkek, Clara Marchaud
After the spectacular arrest of Almazbek Atambayev , calm returned to Kyrgyzstan. A calm of facade however, because in politics, it is the big cleaning. The supporters of Atambayev are arrested one by one, from his most loyal adviser to his supporters in the current president's party.
The two men have long belonged to the same party. It was even Atambayev who took his successor to the presidency in the 2017 elections. The foal quickly became a rival.
Once in power, Jeenbekov dismissed several senior officials close to the former head of state. But the biggest betrayal was the lifting of Atambayev's presidential impunity and his indictment for corruption in June.
► See also: Kyrgyzstan, the reasons for a crisis
The open political war between the two men worries the observers. Since independence, the competition between the different oligarchs preserves the Republic of authoritarianism. But with the arrest of Atambayev, the opposition is reduced to nothing, leaving the most democratic country in Central Asia in uncertainty.