A United Nations human rights expert today called on Kyrgyzstan not to return four detained Uzbeks to their homeland where torture is reported to be systematic, but to facilitate their resettlement in a third country.

At the same time, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers of the UN Commission on Human Rights, Leandro Despouy, expressed deep appreciation for the Kyrgyz authorities’ “courageous decision” to facilitate the resettlement of 450 other Uzbeks who had fled after what the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said may have been a mass killing.

Kyrgyzstan has adopted a law "On combating extremist activity," which was signed by the new president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, on 19 August. It was the first law to be signed by President Bakiev. Under the new law one form of "extremism" is "to assert the exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of citizens on the basis of their attitude to religion or their social, racial, national, religious or linguistic group".

This wide-ranging definition of extremism, not linked with any crimes or other acts against others, leaves open the possibility of it being applied to the self-understanding of all religious communities. But religious communities Forum 18 News Service spoke to had mainly not read the law, and did not see it as a current threat.

Inmates at a prison hospital in ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan killed a parliamentarian and two other people after taking him and his entourage hostage on Thursday, the Justice Ministry said.

The deputy, Tynychbek Akmatbayev, had been visiting the tuberculosis hospital attached to Prison No. 31, about 15 miles northwest of the capital Bishkek, when the violence erupted.

Following the Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan made allegations of a link between Kyrgyzstan and the Andijan uprising. Forum 18 News Service has investigated in Osh, which is on the border with Uzbekistan, whether the unproven Uzbek claims and the adoption of a new extremism law (see F18News 19 October http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=673) have led to Kyrgyz policy towards Muslims becoming more stringent.

On October 15, KOORT (Kyrgyz public radio and television) was re-privatized as a
result of a legal investigation of the previous management on corruption charges.
This news came shortly after the highly popular newspaper, Vecherny Bishkek, was
returned to its previous owner, Alexander Kim, under the purview of the new
government's anti-corruption policy. Such re-privatization of the mass media raises
the question of whether the media is becoming more independent or is it being placed
under state control. While KOORT employees called the administrative changes a
"civilized looting" and claimed that re-privatization was illegal, KOORT's new
directors say it was never an independent media outlet, but was created as a
government organization in the first place (Akipress, October 17).

Kyrgyzstan's president has ordered an inquiry after a member of parliament and at least two others were killed by inmates during a prison visit.
Tynchbek Akmatbayev was shot dead after being taken hostage during a visit to Moldavanovka prison, about 25km (15 miles) outside the capital, Bishkek.

Protesters in Kyrgyzstan have demanded the resignation of the prime minister two days after an MP was killed by inmates during a prison visit.
Tynchbek Akmatbayev and two aides were shot after being taken hostage in jail.

Kyrgyzstan is a multi-ethnic state comprising Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Russians, Ukrainians and Germans, and a small number of Uighur, Dungan (Chinese Muslims) and Koreans.

There is tension between the Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities over access to land and housing. Inter-ethnic relations generally have been aggravated by what is perceived to be discrimination in favour of Kyrgyz speakers. The authorities have tried to stem the exodus of skilled Russians by making Russian an official language.

Hundreds of people demonstrated in Kyrgyzstan for the third day today, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Feliks Kulov, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported.

More than 400 protesters gathered in front of the parliament building in the capital Bishkek, calling for Kulov to step down. A similar demonstration of about 100 people gathered in the southern city of Osh, demanding Kulov's resignation as well as the resignation of Omurbek Tekebaev, the speaker of parliament.

On October 20, Kyrgyz parliamentarian Tynychbek Akmatbayev died following a prison riot in the 31st penal colony located 20 kilometers away from the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. He is the third lawmaker to be assassinated since the March 24 Tulip Revolution. Like the other two victims, Bayaman Erkinbayev and Jyrgalbek Surabaldiyev, Akmatbayev was a businessman known to have a criminal background. Despite denials from Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and Prime Minister Felix Kulov, the death of a parliamentarian has once again revealed direct links between the criminal and political worlds in Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Wednesday he might sack the Central Asian state's government if an investigation into the murder of a parliamentarian in prison found fault with officials.

His comments suggested a pre-election power-sharing deal with Prime Minister Felix Kulov might come unstuck. Foreign diplomats believe that could plunge the impoverished former Soviet state into further instability.

Today Kyrgyzstan is “a failure state” and this fact has already been recognized by many politicians. This theme has been discussed in Almaty at the third session of the Expert Council for Central Asia. In particular, Russian politician working and residing in Kyrgyzstan announced that “nowadays in the light of recent events the question is not security of the state, but existence of Kyrgyzstan as a state.”

Protesters that have been outside Kyrgyzstan's parliament building for the last few days in a bid to secure Prime Minister Felix Kulov's resignation called off their action Thursday after a meeting with the president.

The demonstrators were demanding that the premier step down in connection with the October 20 killing of a senior parliamentarian during an inspection of a penal colony. But they decided to disperse after some of them met with President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who said he had promised that the guilty parties would face justice.

The assistant of U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Donald Lu told it at meeting of the President Kurmanbek Bakiev with foreign donors on October 26, 2005.

“Nothing is more damaging to investor and donor confidence than a perception that the government is turning a blind eye to the activities of organized crime. The current situation in which a known mafia boss is openly intimidating members of the legislature and administration is scandalous,” Donald Lu said.

The political situation remains tenuous in Kyrgyzstan, which over the past week has been buffeted by protests related to the murder of a member of parliament.

On October 28, roughly 1,000 protesters turned out in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to support Prime Minister Feliks Kulov, who faced calls for his resignation following the killing of MP Tynychbek Akmatbayev. The pro-Kulov demonstrators called on President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to take a tougher stance against criminal groups, which reportedly are exerting growing influence over Kyrgyzstan’s political and economic development.

The Kyrgyz government, keen to promote its own financial interests in the continued American military presence in Kyrgyzstan, has strongly pressed for greater revenue from Washington. This not only reflects the strategic value of the Manas air base, but also its increased importance since Tashkent decided to end the U.S. military deployment in Uzbekistan. Suchs concern were at least on the periphery of the Kyrgyz agenda during meetings held on November 1 between General John Abizaid, head of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev

Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday called on the United States to pay more for its key military base there supporting coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan, ahead of a visit by US officials to discuss the issue.

“The United States pays fewer taxes and less money (than it should) for the use of the Manas base,” Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev told a news conference.

Inmates say the reason for the prison riots that started on October 19 and led to bloodshed on November 1 is their harsh living conditions. The prisoners complain of starvation and epidemics of infectious diseases, like tuberculosis and AIDS/HIV, in the penitentiaries. However, that seems to be only the life of ordinary convicts. Kyrgyzstan’s prison unrest also revealed that while ordinary inmates are poorly housed and harshly treated, jailed criminal kingpins have amenities and power.

“The situation in all prisons is stabilizing,” - Sergey Sidorov, the press-secretary of Senior Penitentiary Department (SPD) at Justice Ministry told AKIpress today.

As he said, now search is carried out in several prisons. “The usual schedule of prisoners containing – they are led out and checked, i.e. searched. Prisoners hand over the forbidden subjects: cut and thrust subjects, fixture, cell phones, handicraft knifes,” – Sidorov said.

The press-secretary assured that all actions are carried out in frameworks of the law. “Everything will be in frameworks of the law, there is no speech about force actions. Other case, if they render resistance, the measures will be taken,” – Sidorov declared.

The Kyrgyztan government took steps in 1998 and 1999 to set the legal foundation for the development of Kyrgyzstan's energy market, with the intention of leading to the commercialization and privatization of Kyrgyzstan's energy sector. Laws were adopted related to electric power, oil & gas, energy conservation, and licensing, and private ownership of land. There was also a law enacted concerning foreign investment. The Kyrgyz State Energy Agency worked out guidelines for rate policies, and set up rules for users of electricity and district heat.

Kyrgyzstan`s authoritarian ruler, Askar Akayev, was ousted in March in what appeared at the time to be a democratic revolution. By contrast, the authoritarian rulers of the other Central Asian republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan) appear firmly entrenched in power. But for how long?