Bayaman Erkinbayev
Encyclopedia
Bayaman Erkinbayev was a top Kyrgyzstan
i lawmaker and parliament
ary deputy, who was the driving force behind the riots in southern Kyrgyzstan
that led to the overthrow of President Askar Akayev
on March 24, 2005. One of the richest businessman in the country, he funded the Central Asia
n state's Socialist Party. He had announced his candidacy for the presidency
in the July 2005 elections, but bowed down long before the vote, when his party supported former security chief and Bishkek
mayor
, Felix Kulov
.
Starting out as a worker at a tobacco
factory in his hometown of Osh
in the south, Erkinbayev made his fame as a wrestler, and served in parliament
for a decade. He went on to own "Kara Suu", Central Asia’s largest bazaar
.
Erkinbayev was a key figure behind the March 2005 events, where around 2,000 of his martial arts
trainees moved across the southern cities of Jalal-Abad
, Osh, and Batken
, capturing government sites, burning down police stations, and blocking key highways. The protests later moved to the capital, Bishkek, and ousted longtime President Askar Akayev
from office on March 24. Erkinbayev gained much support by financing protests, and sending in martial arts trainees to lead the demonstrations. He was a devotee of Alysh
, Kyrgyzstan’s answer to kung fu and was also the head of Kyrgyzstan's National Olympic Committee
http://www.eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan/timeline/timeline2.html.
Erkinbayev was lauded as a hero in his hometown of Osh after the revolution, when some 20,000 people gathered in Osh’s main square to celebrate the regime’s fall. He was reported to exercise strong influence over small businesses in the Osh region, and was widely rumoured to be associated with the criminal world. Erkinbayev operated at the turbulent intersection where politics
, business
, sports and, sometimes, crime meet in post-Soviet Central Asia
http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/Silkroadpapers/0610EMarat.pdf. The Kyrgyz parliament, however, had refused prosecutor
s' attempts to strip him of legal immunity
.
Erkinbayev survived an assassination
attempt on April 28, 2005, in which he was shot at from a car, and sported a bandage over his nose. He believed that the motive was political, but also felt that it could have been an attempt to wrestle control of his business empire. On September 22, 2005, however, Erkinbayev sustained bullet wounds to his neck and chest, when he was attacked by unidentified assailants from behind some bushes after arriving home by car late that day. He died in hospital, aged 38.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
i lawmaker and parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
ary deputy, who was the driving force behind the riots in southern Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
that led to the overthrow of President Askar Akayev
Askar Akayev
Askar Akayevich Akayev served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until his overthrow in the March 2005 Tulip Revolution....
on March 24, 2005. One of the richest businessman in the country, he funded the Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
n state's Socialist Party. He had announced his candidacy for the presidency
Presidency
The word presidency is often used to describe the administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation...
in the July 2005 elections, but bowed down long before the vote, when his party supported former security chief and Bishkek
Bishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, Felix Kulov
Felix Kulov
Felix Sharshenbayevich Kulov served as Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan following the Tulip Revolution. He first served from 1 September 2005 until he resigned on 19 December 2006...
.
Starting out as a worker at a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
factory in his hometown of Osh
Osh
Osh is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country and often referred to as the "capital of the south". The city is at least 3,000 years old, and has served as the administrative center of Osh Province since 1939...
in the south, Erkinbayev made his fame as a wrestler, and served in parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
for a decade. He went on to own "Kara Suu", Central Asia’s largest bazaar
Bazaar
A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
.
Erkinbayev was a key figure behind the March 2005 events, where around 2,000 of his martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
trainees moved across the southern cities of Jalal-Abad
Jalal-Abad
Jalalabat is the administrative and economic centre of Jalal-Abad Province in southwestern Kyrgyzstan, with a population of about 150,000...
, Osh, and Batken
Batken
Batken is a small town of about 12,000 population, in southwestern Kyrgyzstan, on the southern fringe of the Fergana Valley. Its geographical location is...
, capturing government sites, burning down police stations, and blocking key highways. The protests later moved to the capital, Bishkek, and ousted longtime President Askar Akayev
Askar Akayev
Askar Akayevich Akayev served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until his overthrow in the March 2005 Tulip Revolution....
from office on March 24. Erkinbayev gained much support by financing protests, and sending in martial arts trainees to lead the demonstrations. He was a devotee of Alysh
Alysh
Alysh is a term for Central Asian folk wrestling or "belt wrestling" as incorporated in the ----International Federation of Wrestling on Belts...
, Kyrgyzstan’s answer to kung fu and was also the head of Kyrgyzstan's National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
http://www.eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan/timeline/timeline2.html.
Erkinbayev was lauded as a hero in his hometown of Osh after the revolution, when some 20,000 people gathered in Osh’s main square to celebrate the regime’s fall. He was reported to exercise strong influence over small businesses in the Osh region, and was widely rumoured to be associated with the criminal world. Erkinbayev operated at the turbulent intersection where politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, sports and, sometimes, crime meet in post-Soviet Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/Silkroadpapers/0610EMarat.pdf. The Kyrgyz parliament, however, had refused prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s' attempts to strip him of legal immunity
Parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
.
Erkinbayev survived an assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempt on April 28, 2005, in which he was shot at from a car, and sported a bandage over his nose. He believed that the motive was political, but also felt that it could have been an attempt to wrestle control of his business empire. On September 22, 2005, however, Erkinbayev sustained bullet wounds to his neck and chest, when he was attacked by unidentified assailants from behind some bushes after arriving home by car late that day. He died in hospital, aged 38.