Police Repression and Trauma in Light of the Revolutions in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

The 2005, 2010 and 2020 regime changes in Kyrgyzstan began as public revolts followed by mass violence and brutal confrontations between law enforcement and protestors. The goal of this paper is to explore the police repression in the handling of mass mobilizations and the trauma and moral injury. The research is based on interviews with fifteen active duty and retired police officers, ranging from rank-and-file officers to police chiefs. My research shows that the Kyrgyz police are deeply traumatized by political upheavals which bring the public and police into violent conflict, with skirmishes which result in the loss of lives of civilians and police officers. Police officers now fear public disorder and are often reluctant to participate in crowd control operations. They often feel as though they are used as a tool by incumbent leaders to suppress political opposition, and are subsequently betrayed by whoever succeeds ousted political elites.