Bayaman Erkinbaev, 39, former wrestler, was shot as he was approaching his apartment in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan. This incident has led not only ordinary people into confusion, but also the people on the top, the government and Jogorku Kenesh. This could be seen in the parliamentary discussions the day after the assassination. All members of the government, including President Kurmanbek Bakiev, gathered before the Jogorku Kenesh, where a war of words between the executive and legislative branches followed. They accused each other of involvement in corruption and criminal activities.

Some of the deputies demanded the dissolution of the government due to its alleged incompetence. One of the oldest deputies, Dooronbek Sadyrbaev, even called for the President’s impeachment. The president in his speech openly said, “You all know very well that the law enforcement agencies are corrupted and some of you are also involved in this. Therefore, do not pretend that you are innocent. This corruption existed long before and it did not emerge yesterday. It is so widespread that one cannot fight it alone.”

Before his death, Bayaman Erkinbaev said he had been threatened on telephone. His bodyguards were arrested several days before. He apparently even complained to the Speaker of the Parliament, Omurbek Tekebaev, about the lack of protections. The day after his assassination, a pre-death letter was exposed in the news; however his colleagues rejected its validity, referring to Erkinbaev’s poor writing skills in Russian. This letter explicitly favoured former President Askar Akaev and his regime. Nevertheless, this letter somehow affected common people’s thoughts about the current government. The same day, Prime Minister Felix Kulov announced that he knew the identity of the killers, and that two days before, he had met with Bayaman Erkinbaev, who asked to publicize the name in case of his death. The fact was thought to make the Prime Minister himself a target for killers.

Bayaman Erkinbaev, a southerner, had been a leading businessman in the south of Kyrgyzstan and it was rumored that, given his alleged links to organized crime, he avoided prosecution by winning a parliamentary seat three times – in 1995, 2000, and 2005, offering him immunity. He owned big businesses such as the Alay Hotel in Osh, the Alysh Wrestling Center, the Turataly Bazaar in Karasuu, the largest wholesale market in Central Asia. One of the possible explanations to his assassination is his business interests. A month earlier, a group of demonstrators protested against high license fees introduced by Bayaman Erkinbaev’s two sisters, who were running the market. Eventually, a new ownership under Abdalim Junusov, a competing businessman, was installed. However, in early September Junusov and his driver were shot dead in Junusov’s house. His family members and relatives blamed Bayaman Erkinbaev, who was then trying to get the market back.

However, others speculate that the Kyrgyz leadership is also involved in this incident. During the onset of the Tulip Revolution, it was believed that Bayaman Erkinbaev was rendering financial support to demonstrators in Jalalabad and Osh. In the aftermath of the revolution, he apparently fell out of favor with President Bakiev, who set fighting crime as one of the top priorities of his government. However, one has to consider the level of shadow economy, which exceeds 40% of Kyrgyzstan’s national economy. Many businesses are forced to find semi-legal means or seek patronage from criminals or government officials in order to function.

The investigators say that the number of assassinations might continue to increase. The level of crime in Kyrgyzstan is connected to policemen’s low salary, which is less than $50 a month, considering Kyrgyzstan’s average monthly salary is $60. This has led to another problem affecting the quality of law enforcement – corruption. The inability of the law enforcement agencies to effectively tackle criminals can be explained also by their demoralization after the assassination of two generals of the Ministry of Interior. Chyngyz Aliev and Uran Aliev (not related) were shot dead in November 2004 and August 2005, respectively, for their activity as investigators.

The previously assassinated pro-Akaev parliamentarian Jyrgalbek Surabaldiev was also owner of large trade centers. This coincidence might also suggest that the new composition of the government and the members of parliament were unable to divide business spheres or interests.

The government and the parliamentarians have become overtly sensitive to outside strikers. “After the recent frightening events, the main orders of law enforcement agencies has become to protect government officials and parliamentarians rather than the people” say human rights activists. After Bayaman Erkinabaev’s death, parliamentarians were given the right to carry handguns, and their guards grew in number.\'