Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, witnessed violence against foreigners
An altercation on May 13 between local and foreign students has led to widespread protests in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The protesters have blocked traffic and disrupted daily life in the capital, raising concerns about the mass influx of foreign students in Kyrgyzstan. 4 Pakistani students have been killed by violent Kyrgyz mobs so far.
According to reports, Bishkek witnessed widespread violence and protests by hundreds of Kyrgyz locals on May 17 and 18, following a deadly altercation between local and foreign students in a hostel on Budynnyi Street on May 13.
By May 17, a video of the confrontation went viral, prompting local law enforcement authorities in Bishkek to launch criminal probes into the matter. Police officials stated that the cause of the initial confrontation is unknown, but reports suggest that some Kyrgyz students engaged in a physical confrontation with Egyptian students in a café.
In response to the altercation, hundreds of Kyrgyz men attacked the hostel where the Egyptian students resided. By May 18, the violence had spilled over to private and state university hostels housing foreign students. Hundreds of Kyrgyz men attacked the students in their buildings, alleging that illegal immigration had emboldened the foreign students, who incriminated the locals and took advantage of the country.
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Indian embassy asked Indian students to stay indoors in Bishkek.
Local Muslims of Kyrgyzstan killed 4 Pakistani students and continuously attacking.
Now they are targeting Indian students to coz of similar looks.
It all started when Pakistani students… pic.twitter.com/fxyLF1SafV
— Sunanda Roy 👑 (@SaffronSunanda) May 18, 2024
Local police chief Azamat Toktonaliev tried to appease protestors following the city-wide protests and violence on May 17 and 18, but the protests continued. Demonstrators gathered at the Chui Prospekt crossing and Kurmanjan Datka Street in Bishkek, calling for the arrest of the four foreign students seen in the video.
Hostels housing foreign students were attacked by violent mobs, but no casualties have been reported so far. The Indian Foreign Ministry, along with the Pakistani, Egyptian, and Bangladeshi Foreign Ministries, has instructed their nationals (students) to stay indoors due to safety concerns. Approximately 15,000 Indian students are estimated to be in Kyrgyzstan.
The embassies of the respective nationalities—Turkey, Iran, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh—have condemned the recent violence and have asked President Sadyr Japarov to ensure the safety of the students currently in Kyrgyzstan.
Despite Kyrgyzstan officials claiming normalcy, many videos of foreign students being attacked by violent mobs inside their houses have surfaced on social media networks. The videos portray the harrowing experiences foreign students faced on the nights of May 17 and 18.
Indian FM advises students in Bishkek to stay indoors amid protests
The Indian Foreign Minister (FM), S. Jaishankar, advised students to remain connected with the embassy in Bishkek. He said, “Monitoring the welfare of Indian students in Bishkek. The situation is reportedly calm now. Strongly advise students to stay in regular touch with the Embassy”.
The AKIpress news outlet in Kyrgyzstan reported on May 18 that three of the four foreign students seen in the viral video are already in police custody. Hours after the video went viral on May 13, Pakistan’s consulate in Kyrgyzstan posted on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “So far, a few hostels of medical universities in Bishkek and private residences of international students, including Pakistanis, have been attacked. The hostels are inhabited by students from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. There have been reports of light injuries to several students from Pakistan”.
Pakistani medical students are in danger here in Bishkek , Kyrgyzstan.
There was a fight between Egyptians and local Kyrgyz people, but it’s being wrongly blamed on Pakistani students.
Now, Kyrgyz locals are attacking Pakistani hostels where over 1000 students live in each… pic.twitter.com/odmOzJE0dV
— Faizan Shaikh (@FaiziWithKhan) May 17, 2024
The Egyptian consulate in Kyrgyzstan also condemned the xenophobic attitude of locals towards foreign students and urged the Kyrgyz government to take immediate action to ensure the safety of the foreign students currently in Bishkek.
State National Security Committee Chairman Kamchybek Tashiev said, “Young people aged between 18 and 25 years gathered in Bishkek on Friday night over concerns about the growing number of migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Egypt, and other countries”.
However, he refrained from commenting on what was the main reason for the altercation on May 13. He also fervently denied the harrowing attacks on foreign students, claiming the foreigners had provoked the locals.
The government authorities of Kyrgyzstan have stated that the situation is now under control, although thousands of riot police remain deployed in various parts of the capitol in case of further violence by locals.
