Friday, May 12, 2006
This Isn't an Ending, Even Though It Looks Like an Ending
You remember Ryspek, right? From a couple weeks ago? The one on trial for a triple murder charge who recently won an open seat on Parliament? Yeah, you remember Ryspek.
Well, he's been murdered. It happened yesterday afternoon as he was coming out of a mosque in a village outside of Bishkek. According to reports, he was shot a number of times in the head and chest by three men in a dark Audi who were all wearing masks. It was reported that the masked men were firing Kalashnikov submachine guns. When the Audi was found earlier today in Bishkek, there were three Kalashnikovs in the trunk. None of Ryspek's guards were wounded and they didn't get off any shots at the masked men in the Audi. At least two students near the entrance to the mosque were shot and wounded, though. Following the shooting, his guards put Ryspek's body into his car and drove him to his family's home in Cholponata, forcing the police to search nearby hospitals, morgues, and the trunks of many cars trying to locate the body. When his body arrived home, a man "close to the family" made a statement confirming Ryspek's murder and his subsequent travels. The body was reportedly examined by a physician but no officials ever saw it, nor will they, as he was buried this afternoon.
Wanna play conspiracy theory? C'mon, it'll be fun...
So, three men in a moving vehicle fired 30-31 shots (according to the number of shells recovered on the scene) from submachine guns and managed to hit only their intended target and innocent bystanders located directly behind the target. The armed henchmen on either side of the target failed to get off even a single round but then managed to get the body into their car and away from the scene before anyone could id the body or ask questions. No officials saw the body and no evidence outside of the guns has been recovered from the car driven by the shooters.
If I could figure out any reason at all for the US to be involved, I'd throw out the CIA just for fun. But, alas, I'm not that clever. But lemme ax ya this: is he really dead? I mean, if you were a newly-elected Parliamentarian with a triple murder charge still hanging over your head and a fairly sizable chunk of the population more than a little pissed off at you, wouldn't you maybe want a little vacation time? Or a lot? Say, the rest of your life? No, probably not. But it'd be a better story if it worked out that way. If his family suddenly moves to some obscure South Pacific island, I'll be the first to scream I told you so! In the meantime, we'll have to simply enjoy the fact that his murder case was today suspended indefinitely. Which, I guess, is something. We'll also have to agree with the head of the Bishkek city police department, who "thinks that the murder of [Ryspek] Akmatbaev is a result of criminal showdowns. Where do you see politics here? [he asks]." [from AKIPress] But, Mr. Police Chief, what about the fact that the sitting Prime Minister is both a political opponent of Ryspek's and a known criminal boss himself. And that PM Kulov was also very loudly accused of having Ryspek's younger brother murdered last fall during a prison riot. What about that? Not political. Right. Sorry. The thing is, it's virtually impossible to even guess at who could have done this -- there are just too many options.
I don't know what happens now. There will be another election soon, I assume. And the rise of the civil society movement may increase. It is likely that other officials, President Bakiev included, will join with the police chief in wondering where the political motivation is in this. And that will pretty much swing the country right back around to where it was last fall, before this whole thing got going. Only there are now more dead bodies. And a man with a hole in his head.
And on that note, I go to bed. Which I will do exactly three more times in Bishkek. This tour, anyway.
Filed under: Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, Politics, Murder, Crime, Ryspek Akmatbaev.
Well, he's been murdered. It happened yesterday afternoon as he was coming out of a mosque in a village outside of Bishkek. According to reports, he was shot a number of times in the head and chest by three men in a dark Audi who were all wearing masks. It was reported that the masked men were firing Kalashnikov submachine guns. When the Audi was found earlier today in Bishkek, there were three Kalashnikovs in the trunk. None of Ryspek's guards were wounded and they didn't get off any shots at the masked men in the Audi. At least two students near the entrance to the mosque were shot and wounded, though. Following the shooting, his guards put Ryspek's body into his car and drove him to his family's home in Cholponata, forcing the police to search nearby hospitals, morgues, and the trunks of many cars trying to locate the body. When his body arrived home, a man "close to the family" made a statement confirming Ryspek's murder and his subsequent travels. The body was reportedly examined by a physician but no officials ever saw it, nor will they, as he was buried this afternoon.
Wanna play conspiracy theory? C'mon, it'll be fun...
So, three men in a moving vehicle fired 30-31 shots (according to the number of shells recovered on the scene) from submachine guns and managed to hit only their intended target and innocent bystanders located directly behind the target. The armed henchmen on either side of the target failed to get off even a single round but then managed to get the body into their car and away from the scene before anyone could id the body or ask questions. No officials saw the body and no evidence outside of the guns has been recovered from the car driven by the shooters.
If I could figure out any reason at all for the US to be involved, I'd throw out the CIA just for fun. But, alas, I'm not that clever. But lemme ax ya this: is he really dead? I mean, if you were a newly-elected Parliamentarian with a triple murder charge still hanging over your head and a fairly sizable chunk of the population more than a little pissed off at you, wouldn't you maybe want a little vacation time? Or a lot? Say, the rest of your life? No, probably not. But it'd be a better story if it worked out that way. If his family suddenly moves to some obscure South Pacific island, I'll be the first to scream I told you so! In the meantime, we'll have to simply enjoy the fact that his murder case was today suspended indefinitely. Which, I guess, is something. We'll also have to agree with the head of the Bishkek city police department, who "thinks that the murder of [Ryspek] Akmatbaev is a result of criminal showdowns. Where do you see politics here? [he asks]." [from AKIPress] But, Mr. Police Chief, what about the fact that the sitting Prime Minister is both a political opponent of Ryspek's and a known criminal boss himself. And that PM Kulov was also very loudly accused of having Ryspek's younger brother murdered last fall during a prison riot. What about that? Not political. Right. Sorry. The thing is, it's virtually impossible to even guess at who could have done this -- there are just too many options.
I don't know what happens now. There will be another election soon, I assume. And the rise of the civil society movement may increase. It is likely that other officials, President Bakiev included, will join with the police chief in wondering where the political motivation is in this. And that will pretty much swing the country right back around to where it was last fall, before this whole thing got going. Only there are now more dead bodies. And a man with a hole in his head.
And on that note, I go to bed. Which I will do exactly three more times in Bishkek. This tour, anyway.
Filed under: Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, Politics, Murder, Crime, Ryspek Akmatbaev.
