Hopes for sustained peace were further bolstered when the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe announced it would send an
international police force to the southern region of the Central Asian nation.
Akhmat Bakiyev was captured Wednesday night in a special
operation outside the family's political stronghold in the southern city of
Jalalabad, which was ravaged last month by a wave of violence against ethnic
Uzbeks.
Police said Akhmat Bakiyev immediately confessed to
involvement in the unrest, which was sparked by small clashes in the nearby
city of Osh that swelled into devastating rampages by ethnic Kyrgyz mobs on
Uzbek neighborhoods. The violence left hundreds of minority Uzbeks dead and
forced 400,000 others to flee.
The violence had political overtones, since many southern
Kyrgyz backed Bakiyev, who was ousted in a bloody revolt in April, while ethnic
Uzbeks supported the interim government.
The latest arrest raised the possibility of new violence
but also showed the government was determined to halt months of turmoil. A
caretaker government is now leading the country until elections in October.
The interim government has offered cash rewards for
information leading to the arrest of Bakiyev's fugitive colleagues, including
ex-Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov. The rewards of $20,000 to $100,000 are
colossal in a country where the average monthly salary is $130.
On Wednesday, the former deputy of the state guard
service, Nurlan Temirbayev, turned himself in. He was wanted on charges of
murder and abuse of office.
Another Bakiyev brother, Zhanybek, is suspected by
authorities of giving the order to open fire on demonstrators during street
protests April 7 that led to his brother's ouster. More than 85 people died
during those clashes, which were fueled by anger over corruption and falling
living standards.
Zhanybek Bakiyev is still on the run, while Kurmanbek
Bakiyev is living in Belarus. Kyrgyz authorities are seeking the former
president's extradition, but Belarus has rebuffed those requests.
Security chief Keneshbek Duishebayev this week warned
that persistent tensions in the country still pose grave risks for the future.
OSCE officials say it could be several weeks before 52
police officers — who will advise the Kyrgyz police force — are recruited and
dispatched to Kyrgyzstan. The mission has the backing of President Roza
Otunbayeva, who says its presence may prevent human rights abuses in the south.
Rights activists say Kyrgyz security forces have been
singling out minority ethnic Uzbeks for arrests in the drive to investigate and
punish those responsible for the June violence.
