| Kyrgyz: Улуттук коопсуздук боюнча мамлекеттик комитети Uluttuk Koopsuzduk Bojunča Mamlekettik Komiteti Russian: Государственный комитет национальной безопасности | |
| Special service overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 20, 1993 (original agency) April 12, 2007 (current form) |
| Preceding agencies | |
| Jurisdiction | President of Kyrgyzstan |
| Headquarters | 70 Erkindik Street, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan[1] |
| Annual budget | Classified information |
| Special service executive |
|
| Website | gknb |
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]
The activities of the UKMK include:
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]
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]
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.
Since its establishment, the UKMK has sported many commemorative awards such as the following:[14]
Russia – Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation
United States – National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation
Israel – Shin Bet
Ukraine – Security Service of Ukraine
Belarus – State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus
Kazakhstan – National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan
France – General Directorate for Internal Security and Directorate-General for External Security