Sunday, January 09, 2022
Government takes stock
More than 5000 arrests in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s authorities are trying to restore some normalcy. Even the official record of the violence is appalling: over a thousand security guards were injured and more than 40 people killed. It is feared that the number of victims is far higher, especially among civilians.
After the serious unrest in Central Asian Kazakhstan, over 5,000 people have already been arrested across the country. “So far, 5135 people have been arrested in all of Kazakhstan,” said the interior ministry of the authoritarian-led ex-Soviet republic in the capital Nur-Sultan. The judicial authorities started investigations against those arrested for various offenses.
The interior authorities said that 16 members of the security forces were killed during the unrest. In addition, around 1,300 police officers, soldiers and other members of the security authorities were injured in the clashes. The authorities had previously spoken of more than 40 people killed – including security forces.
The incumbent Minister of the Interior Erlan Turgumbayev told the TV broadcaster “Chabar 24” that the arrested were accused of destroying more than 100 shopping centers or bank buildings. Around 400 vehicles were destroyed during the riots, most of them police cars.
Strive for normalcy
The authorities, meanwhile, tried to restore normalcy in the country. For this purpose, the supply of staple foods to remote regions has been secured, said the Ministry of Commerce, according to the Tass agency. The energy ministry said the supply of fuel and liquefied gas had also started.
President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev ordered the police and army on Friday to shoot “without warning” at demonstrators whom he described as “terrorists” and “bandits”. It was feared that there could be many civilian deaths – especially in Almaty, a city of over a million people in southeastern Kazakhstan, which was badly shaken by the riots.
Kazakhstan, which borders Russia and China, has been experiencing the worst riots in years for days. In many places, displeasure about the rise in fuel prices at petrol stations turned into sometimes violent protests against the government. Tokayev declared a state of emergency and asked a Russian-led military alliance for help.