Militarizing public space in Kyrgyz capital

The Kyrgyz government continues its march toward authoritarianism with public displays of military preparedness, like this one last Friday outside the Parliament in Bishkek. Earlier this week, Seyitbek Murataliyev, editor of the independent weekly Zhylan and a vocal critic of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, died after a savage attack in which he was stabbed more than a dozen times, reports AFP. Zhylan published reports about police corruption and the country's powerful but secretive security services. The International Press Institute, a media rights group, said Murataliyev's killing was part of an emerging trend of press intimidation in the former Soviet state.