State Of Emergency Lifted In Northern Kyrgyz District

Dozens of protesters were arrested when demonstrations against the operator of the Kumtor gold mine turned violent.

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has lifted a state of emergency in the northern district of Jety-Oguz.

The presidential press service said on June 3 that the state of emergency had been lifted due to the "stabilization of the situation" in the area.

The state of emergency was introduced on May 31 after thousands of protesters clashed with police.

The day before that, the protesters had seized an electricity station and cut off power to the nation's biggest gold mine, Kumtor.

They demanded that the mine's operator, the Canada-based Centerra Gold Company, build environmentally friendly infrastructure and medical facilities for the local population.

Dozens of protesters were detained in the violence.

In the southern Osh region, some 200 protesters have been blocking the Osh-Bishkek highway since June 2, demanding the release of the demonstrators.

With reporting by KyrTAG