[JURIST Europe] Kyrgyz Prime Minister Felix Kulov [BBC profile] has appealed to the Kyrgyzstan Parliament to grant him control of parts of the Interior Ministry that govern the nation's police agencies. Kulov alleges that a recent crime wave, including the murders of three members of parliament, is due to ineffective law enforcement by the courts, prosecutors, and the state police agency, the SNB. The takeover bid follows Kulov's claim that he had specific knowledge of a death threat against himself that the SNB had failed to follow up. The Kyrgyz Parliament has yet to respond to the request. In November, the country's prosecutor-general said the central Asian nation was on the verge of anarchy [JURIST report] and could go out of control if authorities failed to deal with organized crime and chaotic protests. Since former president Askar Akayev's ouster [JURIST report] in March 2005, Kyrgyzstan has also been plagued by prison riots and the seizure of the Supreme Court building [JURIST report] by an angry mob. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Kyrgyzstan [JURIST news archive]. Reuters has more.

D. Wes Rist is Bureau Chief for JURIST Europe, reporting European legal news from a European perspective. He is based in the UK.