Corruption is Everywhere - Certainly in Kyrgyzstan's Presidency

Shots fired as Kyrgyz special forces storm mansion of

ex-president Atambayev 

Former Kyrgyz president, Almazbek Atambayev; Special Forces at his mansion. © Ruptly

A dramatic showdown, with gunfire and even fireworks, broke out amid scuffles outside the mansion of Kyrgyzstan’s former president, Almazbek Atambayev, as special forces were sent there to arrest him over corruption charges.

Armed troops clad in body armor stormed Atambayev’s residence in the village of Koi-Tash late on Wednesday as his supporters audaciously defended their man with sticks and stones.

Witnesses said shots were heard inside the mansion, but it wasn’t immediately clear who’d fired them. At least 15 people were wounded during the operation, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.

One of the special forces troops reportedly received a gunshot wound during the operation.

Atambayev was elected president in 2011, to replace interim president Roza Otunbayeva, one of the leaders of the 2005 “Tulip Revolution.” He had previously served as prime minister under President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who ruled between 2005 and 2010, when he was overthrown in another revolution and fled to Belarus.

However, as soon as Atambayev retired in 2017, the new authorities in the Central Asian state launched an investigation after accusing the 62-year-old of concealing income, corruption, and other violations.

In June, parliament stripped Atambayev of his immunity and his official status as a former president. The politician has denied all accusations, saying that a “campaign of lies and slander” had been launched against him.