About 2,000 Kyrgyz opposition supporters are taking part in the People's Congress, or Kurultai, which opened in the capital Bishkek on Wednesday.
The authorities backsliding on human rights will top the agenda of the gathering, which will also grapple with the country's skyrocketing utility tariffs and the sell-off of strategic energy and communication facilities. Ahead of the Kurultai, an array of independent news websites, including the Russian language ones, were blocked in Kyrgyzstan in a move that raised many eyebrows. Analysts point to the fact that Kyrgyzstan has been repeatedly touted as Central Asia's most independent country in terms of freedom of the press. In a surprise about-face, though, the authorities were quick to shut several web portals, which earlier revealed information about possible murky deals between the Turkmen President's son and his American business partner. Adding fuel to the fire were Yevgeny Gurevich's alleged links to the Italian mafia - something that did not pre-empt Maxim Bakayev from rubbing elbows with Gurevich, chief executive of a US-based financial firm.
The Russian embassy in Bishkek has, in turn, expressed deep concern about the matter, urging the Kyrgyz authorities to immediately start grappling with the situation. In Moscow, CIS expert Andrei Grozin piles praise on the embassy's move:
"It's a good thing that the Russian diplomats moved on Wednesday to warn Bishkek over closing the websites - something that should have been done late last week, when the web portals were shut down, Grozin laments. Russia's wait-and-see stance on the matter is plain to comprehend, though, Grozin contends, citing Moscow's reluctance to tarnish its ties with Bishkek over what many thought were purely technical problems. The past few days sadly saw more independent websites, not least LiveJournal.com, blocked by official Bishkek in an indication of its further clampdown on the opposition, Grozin complains. It seems that we already can speak of a tendency, not a misunderstanding, the Russian expert goes on to say".
He particularly points to the Kyrgyz opposition's drive to caution the authorities against going ahead with state property privatization - an uncontrolled process that sees the country's major infrastructure facilities purchased by offshore firms:
"The ongoing privatization plus ever-increasing utility bills continue to cause a wide public outcry, with opposition leaders already urging mass protest rallies in central Bishkek, Grozin says, drawing a parallel between the current events and those in March 2005, when the so-called Tulip Revolution took place in Kyrgyzstan . At the time, the event propelled Kurmanbek Bakiyev to power, Grozin explains, admonishing the Kyrgyz president for taking steps that may ultimately lead to his overthrow".
March 24 will see the fifth anniversary of the Tulip Revolution, which comes amid the ongoing standoff between the opposition and official Bishkek. It appears that the Kyrgyz authorities are again making a political blunder that finally led to a change of power in the country in 2005, reports Russia's Vremya Novostei daily, whose website was also blocked by Bishkek last week.
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