Riots broke out in the capital of Kyrgyzstan over migration issues: there were casualties

Protests in Bishkek due to migration issues/Collage 24 Channel

As a result of the protests in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, 29 people were injured, among them foreign students. In fact, local residents are hostile against migrants from Pakistan and other countries.

On the night of May 18, riots broke out in Bishkek demanding to prevent the growth number of migrants. Even the evening before, several hundred locals had gathered in the city center – mostly between the ages of 18 and 25.

Protests in Kyrgyzstan : motives and victims

The government of Kyrgyzstan notes that a total of 29 people were injured, and supposedly there are no foreigners among them. However, dormitories housing foreign students, particularly from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, were targeted. The Pakistani Embassy said 15 people were injured. Information about the dead has not been confirmed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan held a meeting with the Pakistani ambassador after this. The department noted that law enforcement agencies are doing everything possible to ensure order and prevent illegal actions.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan strongly condemns attempts to incite ethnic conflict and chaos. Reports of violence and killings of foreign students in the international press are false. Law enforcement agencies carefully determine all the circumstances of violation of the law. All those responsible will be identified and brought to justice.

At the same time, the Kyrgyz authorities claim that the problem of illegal migration does exist, and in recent months they have been taking measures to solve it. In Bishkek they say that up to 50 illegal migrants are detected daily by the relevant services in the country and are doing everything to expel them.

Night protests in the capital of Kyrgyzstan: watch video AKI-TV

According to official statistics, most foreigners who break the law are citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Among them, about 1.5 thousand people from Pakistan and about a thousand from Bangladesh have already returned home.

• Not long ago, the government of Kyrgyzstan increased by 50% quota for 2024 to attract foreign labor. Authorities have stated that the country has a labor shortage in the construction and garment industries.
• In addition, during the May 18 protests, the Indian and Bangladeshi embassies called on students living in hostels , near which local residents were rallying – stay at home and not go out.