White House, Bishkek
Encyclopedia
The White House is the presidential office building in Bishkek
, Kyrgyzstan
. The White House was the site of riots during both the 2005 Tulip Revolution
and the 2010 Kyrgyzstani riots. During the 2010 riots a fire broke out and damaged portions of the building and destroyed the hard copies of many government records.
, with the STO (Gosplan, Duma) building in Moscow as a model. The exterior is covered in marble. In front of the building is a large bed of red flowers representing the countries Soviet ties. In 1985, the building was built to be the location of the Communist Party's Central Committee headquarters. It is supposedly in this building where Askar Akayev
studied "the situation" during the collapse of communism. There is, "said to be" an underground complex under the Ala-Too Square
(Formerly the Lenin Square) connected to the White House via an underground series of tunnels. On the front of the building, there is the crest of the nation
. Before communism fell, the location was covered by the crest that was in use during communist times.
refers to a series of protests that eventually overthrew the President Askar Akayev
and his government. On Thursday, March 24, 2005 protests spread to Bishkek, where a large crowd of tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the White House. When security forces and pro-government provocateurs began beating a number of youthful demonstrators in the front ranks, the main crowd behind them closed ranks and a large number of the young swept past the security forces and stormed into the government headquarters. Just when a compromise appeared to have been agreed between the demonstrators and the security services, a mounted charge by government cavalry dispersed the crowd. President Akayev used this time and fled with his family by helicopter to Kazakhstan
, from where he subsequently flew to Moscow.
filled Ala-Too Square
and surrounded the White House. The police at first used non-lethal methods like teargas but after two trucks tried to ram down the gate live ammunition was used.
At least forty-one protesters were killed in the ensuing engagement. After the protests subsided, the building was taken over by the provisional government. In the aftermath of the riots, it was determined that a fire that swept the building had destroyed records that were housed in the building. This destruction will likely complicate the prosecution of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev
.
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...
, 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...
. The White House was the site of riots during both the 2005 Tulip Revolution
Tulip Revolution
The Tulip Revolution or First Kyrgyz Revolution refers to the overthrow of President Askar Akayev and his government in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan after the parliamentary elections of February 27 and of March 13, 2005...
and the 2010 Kyrgyzstani riots. During the 2010 riots a fire broke out and damaged portions of the building and destroyed the hard copies of many government records.
The building
The building is located on Chuy Avenue between the Philharmonia building and the Monument to the Martyrs of the Revolution. It is a seven story tall building built in Stalinist modern styleStalinist architecture
Stalinist architecture , also referred to as Stalinist Gothic, or Socialist Classicism, is a term given to architecture of the Soviet Union between 1933, when Boris Iofan's draft for Palace of the Soviets was officially approved, and 1955, when Nikita Khrushchev condemned "excesses" of the past...
, with the STO (Gosplan, Duma) building in Moscow as a model. The exterior is covered in marble. In front of the building is a large bed of red flowers representing the countries Soviet ties. In 1985, the building was built to be the location of the Communist Party's Central Committee headquarters. It is supposedly in this building where Askar Akayev
Askar Akayev
Askar Akayevich Akayev served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until his overthrow in the March 2005 Tulip Revolution....
studied "the situation" during the collapse of communism. There is, "said to be" an underground complex under the Ala-Too Square
Ala-Too Square
Ala-Too Square is the central square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The square was built in 1984 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Kyrgyz SSR, at which time a massive statue of Lenin was placed in the square's center...
(Formerly the Lenin Square) connected to the White House via an underground series of tunnels. On the front of the building, there is the crest of the nation
Coat of arms of Kyrgyzstan
The emblem of Kyrgyzstan was adopted following the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 2 June 1992. The emblem has a circular form which mostly bears the color blue. Light blue is known as the Kyrgyz color of courage and generosity . To the left and right of the coat of arms, wheat and cotton are...
. Before communism fell, the location was covered by the crest that was in use during communist times.
2005 riots
The Tulip RevolutionTulip Revolution
The Tulip Revolution or First Kyrgyz Revolution refers to the overthrow of President Askar Akayev and his government in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan after the parliamentary elections of February 27 and of March 13, 2005...
refers to a series of protests that eventually overthrew the 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....
and his government. On Thursday, March 24, 2005 protests spread to Bishkek, where a large crowd of tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the White House. When security forces and pro-government provocateurs began beating a number of youthful demonstrators in the front ranks, the main crowd behind them closed ranks and a large number of the young swept past the security forces and stormed into the government headquarters. Just when a compromise appeared to have been agreed between the demonstrators and the security services, a mounted charge by government cavalry dispersed the crowd. President Akayev used this time and fled with his family by helicopter to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, from where he subsequently flew to Moscow.
2010 riots
In 2010, the building became the center of the 2010 Kyrgyzstani riots. On April 7th, protesters in BishkekBishkek
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...
filled Ala-Too Square
Ala-Too Square
Ala-Too Square is the central square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The square was built in 1984 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Kyrgyz SSR, at which time a massive statue of Lenin was placed in the square's center...
and surrounded the White House. The police at first used non-lethal methods like teargas but after two trucks tried to ram down the gate live ammunition was used.
At least forty-one protesters were killed in the ensuing engagement. After the protests subsided, the building was taken over by the provisional government. In the aftermath of the riots, it was determined that a fire that swept the building had destroyed records that were housed in the building. This destruction will likely complicate the prosecution of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev is a politician who served as the second President of Kyrgyzstan, from 2005 to 2010...
.