Chairman of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) Kamchybek Tashiev commented on the night protests against foreigners in Bishkek.
According to him, yesterday in the capital, up to 700 people aged 18 to 25 gathered. Their main grievance is the sharp increase in the number of migrants from other countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and India.
"In a way, I consider their demands yesterday to be justified. Because of the large number of migrants from the aforementioned countries, we have taken measures. The President instructed to consider the responsibility of migrants illegally staying in the country. In April and May, we conducted active work. Every day we identify 20-30 foreigners staying illegally in the country. Mostly citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh are staying illegally. We have already expelled more than 1,500 Pakistani citizens and 1,000 Bangladeshi citizens from the country. At the same time, there are about 5,000 foreigners illegally staying in the republic," noted the head of GKNB.
He added that law enforcement officers did not use force against the protesters in Bishkek.
"Therefore, we consider the demands of those who gathered yesterday to be somewhat justified, but if there is a violation of public order and a threat to the country, then we will take strict measures. We did not see bad intentions among the gathered individuals, but there were provocateurs among them. They have been identified, will soon be detained, and held accountable. Through phones and WhatsApp channels, they tried to spread various provocative messages, called for anti-state actions, and to oppose the existing state structure. There were armed individuals, all of them have been detained and will be punished," stated Kamchybek Tashiev.
Earlier, it was reported that on May 13, a mass brawl involving foreigners took place in Bishkek in the yard of one of the hostels where they reside. They beat several local residents.
The police initiated a criminal case for "Hooliganism" and detained three foreign citizens.
Yesterday evening, about 300 young men gathered at the intersection of 7 April and Ogonyaev streets, dissatisfied with the incident, wanting to confront the foreigners. The police set up cordons and tried to prevent disorder. There are detainees among the participants of the spontaneous action.
