Friday, January 07, 2022
Dozens of dead in Kazakhstan
Tokayev wants to “erase” the protest
Kazakhs are protesting in the economic metropolis of Almaty, sometimes violently, against the government, corruption and abuse of power. 18 security guards are killed in the fighting. The regime of rulers Tokayev reacted with severity and “eliminated” dozens of demonstrators.
According to the Interior Ministry, 26 demonstrators were killed as a result of the unrest in Central Asian Kazakhstan. In addition, there were more than 3,000 arrests, the state broadcaster Khabar 24 reported in the morning, citing the ministry. The authority therefore spoke of “armed criminals”. Another 18 of them were injured.
State television had already spoken of dozens of “eliminated” people in the metropolis of Almaty on Thursday. That already suggested civilian casualties. The authorities had initially only confirmed the deaths of 18 security forces. According to Khabar 24, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that what he called the anti-terrorist operations should continue until the “fighters are completely wiped out”.
In Almaty in the south-east of the country, where the riots were particularly violent, armed demonstrators are said to have holed up in the building of a television station. In view of the unrest in Kazakhstan, Russia had relocated soldiers to the Central Asian country. Paratroopers were dispatched as part of a peacekeeping force, said the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
High fuel prices trigger unrest
Order in the country has largely been restored, said Tokayev. The head of state wanted to address the Kazakh people in a speech at noon. In Kazakhstan there have been unprecedented protests against the country’s authoritarian leadership for days. The unrest in the ex-Soviet republic, which is rich in oil and gas, was triggered by displeasure at the rise in fuel prices at petrol stations.
But they quickly turned into partly violent protests against the government, corruption and abuse of power. Kazakhstan was ruled for decades by the authoritarian ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev, who retained great influence even after his resignation in 2019. In response to the protests, the current President Tokayev dismissed the entire government and imposed a nationwide state of emergency.