– Father Igor, what is the
situation like in the country, what is going on?
– An
inhumane provocation occurred in the country. On June 11, at 23-00 on
the streets of Osh city quite unexpectedly the shots were fired, the
houses, cars and buildings of cultural significance were set on fire.
Panic-stricken people have gone into hiding in the houses and calling
militia. Militia came and started to fire point blank at people. The
Uzbeks first. Then the same militiamen, having changed into the
national Uzbek dress, started shooting the Kyrgyz.
Provocative
rumors started to be spread in order to push together the Kyrgyz and
Uzbeks. Only in a day the people understood that it had been a
provocation. But it was too late. A bloody flywheel of inter-ethnic
hatred was set going.
Yet it is difficult to calculate by now how
many people have been killed, but the numbers will amount to thousands,
not hundreds. Dark foreign cars with toned windows were careering
about the city and shooting indiscriminately. The snipers were shooting
from the roofs of the houses and the mount Sulaiman-Too, situated in
the center of the city. Marauding broke out, the Uzbek’s houses and
business was robbed. The city was flooded by alien Kyrgyz youth armed
with whatever. Their eyes were glassy and the state deranged. No one
opposed riots. No one tried to arrest anybody, though armored carrier
vehicles drove along the city.
There were also clear moments
inside this moral darkness. I was told by the witnesses of events,
that during an attack on the Uzbek mahalle (residential quarter in
Muslim countries – editor’s note) a Kyrgyz, a youth about 18
years old was taken captive. They laid him his face down on the asphalt,
surrounded him and wondered what to do with him about 5 minutes or so.
Then they lifted him up from the ground, apologized and let him go.
Also the Kyrgyz hid the Uzbeks from other Kyrgyz in their houses.
The
witnesses say that the city was terrorized by a gang of hired
assassins, to whom the local criminal organization joined, with total
number of 200-300 people.
Then the hired assassins moved to
Jalal-Abad, where the same scenario repeated.
Now in the cities
of Osh, Jalal-Abad and their suburbs there is a grievous recovery to
life after the bloody nightmare of the last days. On the surface
everything has smoothed down.At least they do not shoot. But the people
have survived through a great shock which they won’t get over quickly.
Now the problem of physical survival arises because there is no food
and it cannot be bought anywhere, even if you have money.
– Does
the conflict concern Russian-speaking population?
On the large scale the Russian-speaking population was not
involved in this conflict, though there are separate victims both
among Russians and Tartars, and representatives of other nationalities.
But, no doubt, the Russian-speaking population suffered moral damages.
It is hard to stay in the epicenter of mindless and ruthless anger.
– How does the Orthodox Church help people these days?
With what questions and requests do the people apply? Do the people
expect anything from the Church in such a situation?
–
Certainly, the Church participates in what is happening now.
Humanitarian aid – food stuff, infant foods are gathered and sent to
the South.
Of course, everyone is praying. Throughout the
Churches of Kirghizia the divine services are performed in the usual
way without change.
Archpriest Victor Reimgen, Dean of the Osh
district, officiated at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Osh
on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, when the epicenter of outrage moved
to Jalal-Abad, he performed the rite of the blessing of water and
walked in a sacred procession around the whole quarter, in which the
church is situated, aspersed with holy water the fighting equipment and
soldiers. Now he is distributing humanitarian aid that comes from
Bishkek. It is very important, because there are separate cases of
selling humanitarian aid to the population.
Priest Sergy
Khorishko, who serves in Jalal-Abad, sheltered during the riots the
Uzbek families and his parishioners right in the church. He prevented
arson of two adjoining Uzbek houses.
The people expect from the
Church an authoritative word of reconciliation of enmity, appeal to
peace and order. Metropolitan Vladimir of Bishkek and Central Asia
addressed the people of Kyrgyzstan . Many TV-channels ask to the
Church for ethic evaluation of what is going on.
It will take
time to comprehend what has happened. I think that it will result in
certain propositions to the authorities as for prevention of the
conflicts of the kind in future.
– The readers
of the website Orthodoxy
and the World are asking how to render assistance.
One may transfer money in rubles, US dollars or Euro to account
indicated on the main page of our official site.
This is an account of the church in Leninskoye village, where I serve.
The church is already built and the account is out of use. But it may
serve one more time to collect funds for buying humanitarian aid for the
residents of the destroyed cities and villages in the south of
Kirghizia. I guarantee that the products will be delivered to their
destination.
– Thank you, Father Igor, let me wish You God’s
assistance and protection on these fearful days.
Anna Danilova
Account of the church in
Leninskoye village to which the aid may be transferred: Leninskoye
village, Kirghizia. Bank account of the parish at JSC “Commercial Bank
of Kyrgyzstan” № 1030120000761177 BIK 103001. It
is a multi-currency account and can receive Kyrgyzstan soms, Russian
rubles, Kazakhsatn tenge, US dollars and Euro.
« Stop!» Address by Metropolitan Vladimir of Bishkek
and Central Asia to the people of Kyrgyzstan
<a title=”«Stop!» Address by Metropolitan Vladimir of Bishkek and Central
Asia to the people of Kyrgyzstan ” href=”http://www.pravmir.ru/svyashhenniki-kirgizii-ukryvali-lyudej-v-xrame/” target=”_blank”>Russian text –
courtesy of the online magazine “Orthodoxy and the world”. Translated
from Russian by Julia Zubkova
Kirghizia. An Uzbek on the ruins of his house. Photo by Reuters
Kirghizia. Photo by Reuters.
Kirghizia. Refugees. Photo by Reuters
Kirghizia. A grandmother showing pictures of her missing
grandchildren. Photo by Reuters
Kirghizia. Photos by ERA
Kirghizia. Photo by Reuters
Kirghizia. On the ruins of a house. Photo by Reuters
Kirghizia. A woman with a shawl that her murdered pregnant sister
had on. Photo by Reuters
Kirghizia. Photo by Reuters
Kirghizia. Photo by Reuters
Kirghizia. Photo by Reuters
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Panic at the border. Photo by http://www.eurasianet.org
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Panic at the border. Photo by http://www.eurasianet.org
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Panic at the border. Photo by http://www.eurasianet.org
