State_Committee_for_National_Security_(Kyrgyzstan)

State Committee for National Security (Kyrgyzstan)

State Committee for National Security (Kyrgyzstan)

Add article description


The State Committee for National Security (Russian: Государственный комитет национальной безопасности, ГКНБ; Kyrgyz: Улуттук коопсуздук боюнча мамлекеттик комитети, УKMK; Uluttuk Koopsuzduk Boyuncha Mamlekettik Komiteti, UKMK) is the national agency responsible for intelligence on counter terrorism and organised crime in Kyrgyzstan. In carrying out this task, it carries out both preventive and investigative measures against organized terrorism and crime. The chairman of the UKMK is a military officer and a member of the Security Council of Kyrgyzstan.[2] It is currently based on 70 Erkindik Street, Bishkek.[3]

Quick Facts Special service overview, Formed ...

Official tasks

The activities of the UKMK include:

  • Conducting counterintelligence
  • Gathering intelligence on terrorist organizations, drug traffickers and analyzing national security information (including conducting covert action)
  • Securing information
  • Suppress the activities of harmful organizations
  • Uncovering espionage and corrupt activities
  • Extraction and deliver secret information related to organized criminal and terrorist groups
  • Carry out the protection of the state border
  • Carry out the protection of economic and legal interests in Kyrgyzstan
  • Encrypted communication systems for government institutions
  • Seizing any type of illegal activities and organizations
  • Disarming and securing corrupted systems and people who messed with it

History

The history of the modern Kyrgyz intelligence services dates back to December 1917, when the All-Russian Emergency Commission (VChK) was formed. A year later, on the Pishpek district investigation commission was established. After national delimitation occurred in the early 1920s, Regional State Political Directorate of the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Oblast was created. Later on the Committee for State Security (KGB) of the Kyrgyz SSR was formed, which served as the republican affiliate for the national KGB agency. On 20 November 1991, President Askar Akayev signed a presidential decree establishing the UKMK. Since 2007, the State Committee for National Security has been operating in its current form.[4][5][6]

In August 2002, the State Border Guard Service was established as a part of the UKMK, having been merged with the Main Border Guard Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Main Directorate of Border Control of the UKMK that day. This was done to have a more centralised intelligence system in Kyrgyzstan. In the years that followed, the UKMK would have little influence on the border guard service until it was finally removed from the National Security Committee on 4 September 2012, it was and was re-established as an independent department in the government.[7]

Special Forces

The UKMK controls the Alpha anti-terrorist unit, which like all former Soviet countries refers to a top-secret special forces unit. The unit helps deliver on the tasks listed above. In August 2010, fighters of the unit went on strike in protest against the arrest of their former chief Almaz Dzholdoshaliyev. They appealed to President Roza Otunbayeva with a demand to change the measure of restraint for the detained UKMK officers. In response, the Prosecutor General's Office opened criminal cases against nine employees of the unit, accusing them of shooting at demonstrators during the Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010.[8]

Criticisms

Political repression

Following his party's success in the 2010 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, on 23 October, the home of Kamchybek Tashiev was burglarized. He later stated to Al Jazeera that "they broke in like bandits" and "tried to eliminate me", adding that "for sure, GSNB [security services] was behind these actions."[9] Tashiev later became Chairman of the UKMK.

Chairman

Awards

Since its establishment, the UKMK has sported many commemorative awards such as the following:[14]

  • Breastplate "70 years of the Chief Directorate of the National Security Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic in the city of Bishkek"
  • Breastplate "Mildet" (means "Order" or "Duty")
  • Medal "100 years of Kyrgyz security services"

See also


References

  1. "The Kyrgyz Republic". caricc.org.
  2. "Kyrgyz Republic". eurasiangroup.org.
  3. "Kyrgyz Security Chief Resigns Under Pressure Amid Corruption Allegations". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  4. ORLOVA, Maria (2020-10-09). "President of Kyrgyzstan dismisses head of SCNS Orozbek Opumbaev". 24.kg. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  5. "Кто он – глава ГКНБ Орозбек Опумбаев?". Радио Азаттык (Кыргызская служба Радио Свободная Европа/Радио Свобода) (in Russian). 14 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-05-01.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article State_Committee_for_National_Security_(Kyrgyzstan), and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.