In Pictures: Volunteers protect Bishkek from looters

AKIPRESS.COM - About 10,000 volunteers together with police officers ensured public security and protection of private and public property in Bishkek on the night of October 7-8, the second night after the unrests in Bishkek following the Sunday parliamentary elections.
Groups of volunteers were there to protect the malls, business, cultural, government and other facilities around the city. They patrolled the crossroads and stopped cars without license plates. They coordinated their actions through 12 headquarters, groups on messengers, and social networking sites.
Many cafes and restaurants organized free meals and hot drinks for the volunteers.
No looting was reported in Bishkek this night, Bishkek police department said.
On October 5, thousands of protesters took to central square in Bishkek to protest against the results of parliamentary elections after 7%-threshold was passed by mainly pro-government parties. In the evening of that day, clashes occurred between riot police and protesters. About 1000 were injured and 1 civilian died of injuries, according to the Ministry of Health.
By the night, a group of unknown people stormed the White House. Jailed politicians, including ex-President Almazbek Atambayev and ex-Prime Minister Sapar Isakov, were freed.
On October 6, the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan annulled the parliamentary election results. Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament resigned.
President Sooronbai Jeenbekov called events an illegal power grab and urged all the parties to join for a dialogue.