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Kyrgyz police, opposition supporters clash in Bishkek

© RIA Novosti . Sladisla UshakovKyrgyz police, opposition supporters clash in Bishkek
Kyrgyz police, opposition supporters clash in Bishkek  - Sputnik International
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Some 200 protesters clashed with police in the capital of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday outside an opposition headquarters.

Some 200 protesters clashed with police in the capital of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday outside an opposition headquarters.

The police used riot equipment, stun grenades and dogs to suppress the protesters, many of whom were detained and taken away in buses.

Many local and international journalists witnessed the clashes as the opposition had announced it would hold a news conference after police and activists clashed on Tuesday in the western Kyrgyz city of Talas and several opposition leaders were arrested.

Major political unrest Kyrgyzstan started last month, and several thousand people held a rally on Wednesday in front of the local governmental building in the central Kyrgyz town of Naryn.

An activist, Adilet Eshenov, said the protesters had entered the building and held talks with the governor. He added that the police had not tried to stop the demonstrators.

The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry denied the government building in Naryn had been occupied, but confirmed the protests were going ahead.

"There is no seizure. An unauthorized rally is being held. In front of the regional administration building, attended by 1,200-1,300 people. There have been no public order arrests," a spokesperson told RIA Novosti.

Protesters seized the regional administration building in Talas on Tuesday, accusing the government of tightening its grip on power while failing to bring stability and economic growth.

Almazbek Atambayev, the former prime minister and current leader of the Social Democratic Party, was detained at his home on Tuesday evening. A journalist and a cameraman of the local television company StanTV, who were interviewing the politician when police arrived, were also detained. They were later released, but the camera was seized.

Kyrgyzstan, where Russia and the United States both have military bases, has been unstable since President Kurmanbek Bakiyev came to power after the so-called tulip revolution, toppling his long-serving predecessor Askar Akayev in 2005.

Bakiyev's party won most seats in parliament in the early December 2007 election after two years of political upheaval.

 

BISHKEK, April 7 (RIA Novosti)

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