Following the recent April events of  2010, which claimed the lives of more than 85 people, and ended with mass looting in Bishkek, residents of the capital city started demonstrating their civic participation and organized people’s vigilante groups to assist law enforcement agencies that have difficulties in protecting the order in the city due to a significant loss of public trust to police after the bloody events of April.

People’s vigilante group Patriot is one of them. They were formed on April 8, 2010 and, together with police conducted night patrols of the city for several weeks. Today, they are out in the streets again. The recent conflict in the South of the country and all kinds of rumors that violence may shift to the North forced the members of the Patriot to reunite and resume the night patrols with police. You can easily recognize them by their white tshirts and red armbands that read “People’s vigilante group Patriot”.

Aizada Matkasimova, resident of Bishkek, is very glad to see the civic activism of people. “Though their existence gives a clear message that Bishkek is not safe, I feel much safer when I see vigilante teams,” says Aizada Matkasimova to neweurasia.

Daniyar Terbishaliev, leader of Patriot, told neweurasia that they would patrol Bishkek every night until the referendum, which is scheduled for June 27, 2010, and on June 27 members of the Patriot would be deployed in each polling station of Pervomaisky district of Bishkek city, and together with the police maintain order.