From the MT:
“State of Emergency in
Kazakhstan as President Vows Crackdown”
Authorities in Kazakhstan
declared a nationwide state of emergency and promised a tough crackdown on
Wednesday as mass unrest plunged the country into chaos. Long seen as one the
most stable of the ex-Soviet republics of Central Asia, energy-rich Kazakhstan
is facing its biggest crisis in decades after protesters angry over rising fuel
prices stormed government buildings. Authorities appealed for calm but also
shut down the internet and warned that lawlessness would not be tolerated. President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accused the protesters of "massive attacks on law
enforcement" that left several dead and wounded. "I intend to act as
tough as possible ... Together we will overcome this black period in the
history of Kazakhstan," he said. Protests spread across the nation of 19
million this week in outrage over a New Year increase in prices for liquid
petroleum gas (LPG), which is widely used to fuel cars in the west of the
country. Thousands took to the streets in the country's biggest city Almaty and
in the western province of Mangystau, saying the price rise was unfair given
oil and gas exporter Kazakhstan's vast energy reserves. After a night of unrest
that saw more than 200 people detained, several thousand protesters stormed the
mayor's office in Almaty on Wednesday afternoon and appeared to have seized
control of the building.
Stun grenades, tear gas
(Smoke rises from the city hall
building during a protest in Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 5, 2022.)
Police fired stun grenades and
tear gas at the crowd, some armed with batons and shields seized from police,
but were unable to prevent them from entering the building, an AFP
correspondent at the scene said. Local media said protesters then set
their sights on the presidential residence in Almaty. Both it and the mayor's
office were reported to be in flames. There were reports of widespread
unrest throughout the country and unconfirmed claims that protesters had seized
control of the airport in Almaty. Several flights from Moscow to cities
in Kazakhstan were cancelled or postponed on Wednesday night. But the
full picture was unclear after major disruptions to communications, including a
nationwide shutdown of the internet, the blocking of online messengers and cuts
to mobile phone services.
The protests are the biggest
threat so far to the regime established by Kazakhstan's founding president
Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stepped down in 2019 and ushered Tokayev into the
presidency. Tokayev tried to head off
further unrest by announcing the resignation of the government headed by Prime
Minister Askar Mamin early on Wednesday. He also announced he was taking over
from Nazarbayev as head of the powerful security council, a surprise move given
the ex-president's continued influence. But with protests escalating, the
government late on Wednesday said a state of emergency declared in protest-hit
areas would be extended nationwide and in effect until Jan. 19. It imposes an
overnight curfew, restricts movements and bans mass gatherings. The restrictions are aimed at "ensuring
public safety, restoring law and order, and protecting rights and freedoms of
citizens," a broadcaster said on state television channel Khabar 24. Much
of the anger appeared directed at Nazarbayev, who is 81 and had ruled
Kazakhstan since 1989 before handing power to Tokayev.
'Old Man Out!' Many
protesters shouted "Old Man Out!" in reference to Nazarbayev and
images posted on social media showed a statue of the ex-president being torn
down. Tokayev was handpicked as a successor by Nazarbayev, a close ally
of Russian President Vladimir Putin. One of five ex-Soviet nations in
Central Asia, Kazakhstan is of crucial importance to Russia as an economic partner
and home to a large ethnic Russian population. Moscow called for a
"peaceful solution ... through dialogue, not through street riots and
violation of laws." The European Union and the United Nations
called for "restraint" on all sides, while Washington urged
authorities to allow protesters to "express themselves peacefully."
Kazakhstan's government tolerates little real opposition and has been
accused of silencing independent voices. Spontaneous, unsanctioned
protests are illegal despite a 2020 law that eased some restrictions on freedom
of assembly. Smaller rallies had been staged in cities across the
republic from Sunday, beginning with the town of Zhanaozen in Mangystau. The
initial cause of the unrest was a spike in prices for LPG in hydrocarbon-rich
Mangystau. Reports by independent media suggested that Tokayev's
announcement of a new price of 50 tenge (11 U.S. cents) per litre, down from
120 at the beginning of the year, failed to weaken the rallies in Zhanaozen and
Mangystau's capital Aktau as demonstrators aired new demands.
^ I always saw Kazakhstan as a
stable country (because of its strict Dictatorship – that seemed to focus on
the people rather than the strict Dictatorship in Russia which focuses on
dominating the world.) I may have been wrong on what I thought about Kazakhstan
(but am sure I am right on Russia.) Hopefully, the Kazakh Government doesn’t
bring in Russian Troops into their country otherwise this will become even more
deadly and violent then it already is. ^
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