Thousands of Kyrgyz opposition supporters have rallied in the capital and elsewhere to air wide-ranging grievances against the government.
Participants in Bishkek and the central town of Naryn called on officials to release imprisoned political opponents, stop media harassment, and lower utility prices, among other demands.

Other, smaller-scale antigovernment demonstrations took place in the southern distinct of Alay, the northwestern town of Talas, and the village of Aksy in western Jalalabat Province.
The opposition says more than 5,000 people took part in the People's Congress (Eldik Kurultai), the protest action in Bishkek, while some 3,000 gathered in Naryn. Officials in Bishkek, however, put the number of protesters in the capital at around 2,000.

Leading opposition figures, including lawmaker Roza Otunbaeva and Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party leader Omurbek Tekebaev, addressed the gathering in Bishkek, saying the people should take power into their own hands if the government failed to meet their demands.

Problems of Kyrgyzstan’s labor migrants discussed in Almaty (Kazakhstan)

International Association of Kyrgyzstanis “Zamandash” and Public Fund “Kyrgyz Ata” (Kazakhstan) have discussed problems of labor migrants of Kyrgyzstan in Kazakhstan.

The main aim of the conference was the discussion the issue of the joint deportation of Kyrgyzstanis working in trade sphere in Kazakhstan.

Representatives of the ministry of labor, employment and migration, parliamentarians and Kazakhstan local authority have been invited to the conference.

Kyrgyz opposition adopted the Resolution on the rally on March 17 in Bishkek

Kyrgyz opposition held a rally on March 17 in Bishkek.

The participants demanded the government to stop the constitutional reforms, to reduce tariffs for energy and to return to the state privatized “Severelektro" and "Kyrgyztelecom”, to provide broadcasting of  Azattyk radio in Kyrgyzstan.

All demands of opposition have been considered in the Resolution from 7 main points. Also a working group to control the implementation of the Resolution has been created. SDPK’s leader Roza Otunbayeva has been appointed as the head of this group.

Kyrgyzstan joined the Second Optional Protocol of the UN aiming at the abolition of the death penalty

President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed the Law "On Accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, adopted by General Assembly resolution of the UN on December 15, 1989, reported the press service of the Secretariat of the President of Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyz Police confiscate independent newspaper

The editor of an independent Kyrgyz newspaper says Bishkek police confiscated its latest issue on March 15.

Rakhmatulla Akhmedov, chief editor of the "Forum" newspaper, told RFE-RL that he believes the confiscation was ordered by authorities.

Akhmedov said three trucks carrying 7,000 copies of the newspaper were stopped by police and forced to drive to a police station.

The newspaper's delivery workers were released by police after local human rights defenders and opposition Social Democratic Party activists got involved in the case, although the newspapers were impounded at the station.

A Bishkek police spokesman refused to comment on the incident.

Former minister of foreign affairs of Kyrgyzstan sentenced to suspended term of five years in jail

Former minister of foreign affairs of Kyrgyzstan Alikbek Jekshenkulov has been sentenced to suspended term of five years in jail. The court also banned A. Jekshenkulov from serving in any official or state posts for three years and put him on probation for three years.
Jekshenkulov was initially charged in March 2009 with involvement in the murder of Turkish businessman Servet Cetin. That charge was later dropped. Also he was charged in exceed authority and improper use of budger resources during his being minister.
Jekshenkulov served as foreign minister from 2005-07. After leaving the government he created the opposition For Justice movement.

BBC interruption amid media 'Clampdown'

The BBC's local-language service in Kyrgyzstan experienced an unexplained interruption today, RFE-RL's Kyrgyz Service reported, sparking concerns the U.K.-funded broadcaster might share the fate of other media outlets suffering setbacks there.
One of three BBC broadcasts was unavailable today, although its 9:00 p.m. program was back on the air.

Aslan Kapai, a BBC Kyrgyz Service producer, told RFE-RL the service's 30-minute program at 8 p.m. Bishkek time was not available to Kyrgyz listeners.

He said no explanation has been given either by the BBC's affiliate stations or by Kyrgyz officials.

The BBC's Kyrgyz Service has been operating since 1996. It broadcasts a 30-minute program three times daily.

Seven correspondents in Kyrgyzstan work for the BBC's Kyrgyz Service while three others work in London. The BBC has a joint television project with Kyrgyzstan's National Television and Radio Corporation.

Since March 10, RFE-RL's Kyrgyz television and radio programs have been off the air in Bishkek and other parts of the country in what rights activists are calling a government clampdown on the media.

Kazakhstan ratified protocol on amendments to contract on allied relations with Kyrgyzstan

The head of state, Nursultan Nazarbayev, signed the law on ratification of the protocol on introduction of the amendments to the contract on allied relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic of December 25, 2003.

"The text of the law has been published in mass media."

As informed earlier, the contract on allied relations between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan directed at development of bilateral cooperation was ratified by the Republic of Kazakhstan on November 9, 2006. The protocol was signed to further implement the positions of the contract and gives the parties a possibility to accept plans of cooperation measures for each three-year period, the conclusion of the Senate of the Parliament Committee for International Affairs, Defense and Security states.

Kyrgyz Prime Minister has denied rumors about the cession of Kyrgyz pastures to China

Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Daniyar Usenov denied rumors about the cession of Kyrgyz pastures Aksay and Arpy in the Naryn region to China. The Head of Government informed during a meeting with journalists.

According to him, in 1996 the Government of Kyrgyzstan and China concluded the negotiation process on all the contentious issues of the border. "This agreement was signed and approved by all the parameters of our borders. In the process of negotiating 70% of the disputed territories were left for Kyrgyzstan and 30% - for China ", - said D. Usenov.

"Since 1996, neither the Government of Kyrgyzstan or China had no intention to change any item in this agreement. Today we are not going to revise the Kyrgyz-Chinese border ", - said D. Usenov.  

As the head of government, speculation on the matter involved the same people and they are constantly trying to "shake". "The same was the issue of Karkyre with Kazakhstan. However, in this issue 1,504 hectares went to Kyrgyzstan, and 498 ha Kazakhstan. Now, with Kazakhstan, we are no disputed areas, the process of demarcation ", - he said.

As noted by D. Usenov, "in today's issue of the delimitation are only two countries, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Kyrgyz opposition party demands President and his son resign

The Kyrgyz opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party has demanded that President Kurmanbek Bakiev and his son resign.
The party statement came after reports earlier this week that Italian authorities have issued a warrant for the arrest of Yevgeny Gurevich, a business associate of Bakiev's son, Maksim.

Gurevich is accused of embezzling some $2.7 billion from Italian telecom companies.

Gurevich is the head of the MGN Group, which has been involved in the Kyrgyz investment market since 2008. It has numerous holdings, including banks, and is one of Kyrgyzstan's most powerful conglomerates. Gurevich announced on March 10 that he is stepping down from MGN to "fix misunderstandings occurred in Italy."
MGN is also a major partner of Kyrgyzstan's Central Agency for Development and Investments, which is headed by the president's son, Maksim Bakiev. The agency was created by the president in November.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to meet with the heads of Central Asia to discuss issues of drug combating

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will meet with the heads of Central Asian countries and Russia. They will discuss issues of drug combating from Afghanistan, informed UN Secretary-General in interview of RIA Novosti at the eve of his visit to Moscow on March 17-19, 2010.

“Russia has very important role to play in helping Afghan government to meet all this important policies including eradicating drugs. And I'm going to discuss this matter with the Russian leadership and I'm also going to discuss it with the leaders of the Central Asia, five Central Asian countries, who can also contribute to this” said Ban Ki-Moon.

All information based on the newswire of the Zpress.kg news agency