Beneath the glamour and excess, the fast cars and “VIP” clubs, Bishkek’s feeble image of new money quickly evaporates. For an increasing number in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, the economic crisis means homelessness. Some seek refuge underground in the dark and dangerous corridors of the city’s central hot water and power system, living amongst decaying animals, used needles and human filth.
For an increasing number in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, the ongoing economic crisis means homelessness. Some seek refuge underground in the dark and dangerous corridors of the city’s central hot water and power system. In the winter, these hot and damp halls provide shelter from Kyrgyzstan’s extreme climate.
In a region widely criticized for its human rights record, a handful of activists in Kyrgyzstan are attempting to enact significant reforms in how the state defends transgender individuals from harassment.
Photographer Dalton Bennett was in southern Kyrgyzstan during the early days of the inter-ethnic violence that claimed hundreds of lives and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes. Here is his account of his experiences at makeshift camps of displaced Uzbeks and elsewhere.
A stampede on the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border left at least four dead on June 12 as thousands of ethnic Uzbeks fled intercommunal violence in southern Kyrgyzstan.
Some of the loudest criticism of Kyrgyzstan’s provisional government is coming from youth groups. Many youth activists feel they played a key role in forcing Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s administration from power and now they expect a say in how things are run in Bishkek.
The ability of social networking platforms to mobilize anti-government protesters is a well-documented phenomenon. But in the aftermath of recent political unrest in Kyrgyzstan, social networks also have proven themselves a useful tool for maintaining order, and for helping the victims of violence.
Not too long ago the vaulted, shiny red roofs were the object of both envy and scorn. It is widely believed that they belonged to Maxim Bakiyev, the wealthy son of Kyrgyzstan’s recently ousted leader, Kurmanbek Bakiyev. An angry mob ransacked the home on April 7, looting the property before setting part of it ablaze.
Ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev attempts to address supporters in the southwestern Kyrgyz city of Osh, where supporters of the interim government hold a rally on April 15. During the rally in the main square of Osh, supporters of the interim government clash with Bakiyev supporters, who were driven from Jalal-Abad by three large buses and attempted to take over the square.
