Reference

Kyrgyzstan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Kyrgyzstan ... formally the Kyrgyz Republic, and sometimes known as Kirghizia, is a country in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, it borders China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Its capital is Bishkek. Once a republic of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan has been independent since 1991. Remaining reasonably stable throughout most of the 1990s, the country's young democracy showed relative promise under the leadership of former President Askar Akayev, but moved towards autocracy and authoritarianism. ..."

Measures of Freedom

Freedom House Ratings, Freedom in the World 2009
2009: Political Rights: 5, Civil Liberties: 4, Status: Partly Free
Level of Economic Freedom, Economic Freedom of the World
2006: 6.96 (out of 10)

Articles

Democracy: The God That Failed: In Iraq, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan, by Justin Raimondo, 12 Oct 2005
Related Topics: Democracy, Iraq, Ukraine
"... the 'Pink Revolution' that engulfed Kyrgyzstan earlier this year was a thuggish affair. Mobs took over government buildings, then indulged in an orgy of looting and destruction... In Kyrgyzstan, a relatively liberal tyrant was overthrown and replaced by someone with the reputation of a hardliner."