About 1,000 people, mostly residents of the southern Aksy, Kara-Kulja, Suzak, and Uzgen districts, began on 14 November a protest march to Bishkek starting from the town of Ak-Suu, about 60 kilometers to west from Bishkek. According to the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights, they had before gathered in Ak-Suu secretly, because the country authorities imposed about 10 police posts along the main road connecting the southern regions with Bishkek to prevent any marches. The protesters stopped in the village of Voenno-Antonovka, several kilometers from Bishkek, because police blocks the roads to the city.
The marchers demand to bring to justice those responsible for the Aksy killings, to release jailed former vice president of the country Feliks Kulov, and to restore rights of candidate Usen Sydykov to run for a parliamentary seat. Actually, the protest march began from the southern regions on 4 September but was stopped on 12 September when opposition and government officials signed a special memorandum. According to it, at least three high government officials must have been punished by 15 November. They are former head of the presidential staff Amanbek Karypkulov, former Minister of Internal Affairs Temirbek Akmataliev and former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmurat Sadiev.
Protesters also demand President Askar Akayev to resign. Akayev appointed recently Karypkulov as Kyrgyz ambassador to Turkey, Akmataliev as deputy head of the presidential staff and Sadiev as commander of the newly formed State Border Service. Police opened fire at a protest demonstration in the southern Aksy district last March, killing five people.
The marchers demand to bring to justice those responsible for the Aksy killings, to release jailed former vice president of the country Feliks Kulov, and to restore rights of candidate Usen Sydykov to run for a parliamentary seat. Actually, the protest march began from the southern regions on 4 September but was stopped on 12 September when opposition and government officials signed a special memorandum. According to it, at least three high government officials must have been punished by 15 November. They are former head of the presidential staff Amanbek Karypkulov, former Minister of Internal Affairs Temirbek Akmataliev and former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmurat Sadiev.
Protesters also demand President Askar Akayev to resign. Akayev appointed recently Karypkulov as Kyrgyz ambassador to Turkey, Akmataliev as deputy head of the presidential staff and Sadiev as commander of the newly formed State Border Service. Police opened fire at a protest demonstration in the southern Aksy district last March, killing five people.