As I first learned of on Registan, Edil Baisalov of the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society (and guest of Williams College) was violently attacked in an assassination attempt outside the Coalition’s offices near Ala-Too Square in Bishkek. The complete breakdown of public services (police, emergency transportation) made the situation worse - the assassin is on the loose and the lack of an ambulance likely endangered Baisalov’s life. Thank God he’s OK.

Baisalov has bravely lobbied for greater measures to combat organized crime. Kulov visited him in the hospital, and hopefully more will come out of that meeting than a PR opportunity for an administration whose inaction Baisalov has taken the lead in criticizing. Baisalov says that he won’t be intimidated. In a climate of fear that has enveloped Kyrgyzstan. He’s truly an inspiration for democracy activists worldwide, and the Kyrgyz government can no longer afford to ignore him (if they ever could).

The widening campaign against organized crime in Kyrgyzstan pits a hardy band of NGOs against some of the most deeply entrenched interests controlling politics - groups that are likely holdovers of apparatchiks that have been allowed to flourish in an environment in which everything (and everyone) has their price. Perhaps Russia, seeing a connection with its anti-narcotrafficking efforts, could increase its assistance? However, there seems not to be much that the U.S. can do - State should release a statement praising Baisalov and calling for greater security measures, but it would be difficult to complement the message with an expression of soft power - extra development assistance (or perhaps penalties for failed domestic security promises) would likely not be enough to turn the tide against the criminal syndicates. In any event, Kyrgyzstan is definitely backsliding, an indication, in my opinion, of the disconnect between people and the government - the latter can afford not to take the former seriously (as has been the case so far with the protests) and individuals do not perceive their stake in the government and try to avoid interacting with it at all costs. However, in order to expel the criminal plutocrats from power, people will need to be more engaged in political affairs so they can respond when politicians try to dupe them. As Edil Baisalov shows, the Kyrgyz people are not pushovers, and through grassroots political organization they can work towards a more transparent and representative government.