Kyrgyzstan makes arrests over suspected coup attempt ahead of local elections

BISHKEK: Police in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan have arrested and charged seven people on suspicion of organising mass riots to overthrow the government ahead of local elections on Sunday.

The interior ministry said in a statement on Tuesday the individuals were suspected of using sports games and other competitions in the capital Bishkek to foment a riot.

“Under the guise of national sports games, they intended to call for acts of violence, were going to put forward unconstitutional calls, (and) destabilise the situation for the further violent seizure of power on November 17,” the ministry said.

Those detained include several foreign nationals and a former deputy prosecutor general.

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Authorities seized weapons and ammunition from the alleged riot organisers, the police said, as well as 1,000 bottles of vodka “to get the crowd drunk”, 2,000 bottles of water, a ton of rice, and a horse intended for slaughter.

Kyrgyzstan is set to hold elections for local councils in several districts on November 17.

On Wednesday, Russia, which has a military base outside Bishkek, said that it is in constant touch with its Kyrgyz counterparts over the security situation.

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Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet nation of about 7 million people, sandwiched between China and Kazakhstan, has seen several episodes of civil unrest in recent years.

In 2020, protests broke out in Bishkek following a disputed parliamentary election, which Western observers said had been marred by vote buying. These eventually led to the resignation of then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.

Two other presidents have been overthrown in Kyrgyzstan this century.