Kazakhstan riots: President orders firing on protesters without warning

News agencies

07/01/2022

Friday, 07 January 2022, 12:47 Updated: 12:59

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Security forces in Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 7, 2022 (Photo: Reuters)

Kazakhstan President Kasim-Jumart Tokayev said today (Friday) that he had ordered security forces to "shoot without warning" at protesters in the country, amid the violent repression of protests against the government. He even thanked Russia for leading an "observer force" deployed in the country.

The authoritarian ruler added that "20,000 bandits" attacked the city of Almaty, the largest city in the country and the focus of demonstrations that erupted following rising fuel prices. He described them as "terrorists" trained by foreign countries, without providing evidence. The Interior Ministry said 26 "armed criminals" and 18 security personnel were killed in the riots.

Kazakhstan, a major oil producer, is under centralized rule and has cultivated an image of a stable state. This has helped it attract billions of dollars in foreign investment in its oil and metals industries in the 30 years since its independence from the Soviet Union. Russia remained its main ally, and warned of "external intervention" in the crisis.

The riots in Kazakhstan, and Russia's rapid intervention, come at a time when the West fears its upheavals in Ukraine, also a former Soviet republic.

The United States condemned the acts of violence and property destruction in Kazakhstan and called on protesters and authorities to exercise restraint, while warning Moscow that the "world is watching" its activities in the former Soviet republic.

China, Kazakhstan's neighbor, sided with the regime, saying the demonstrations were an "internal matter".

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Army forces open fire on protesters in Almaty, Kazakhstan (Twitter)

Demonstrations broke out on Sunday in the western province of Mengistau, following the abolition of government gas price controls earlier this year.

Many residents have switched to gas-powered cars due to its low price.

In an attempt to stop the protests, the government resigned and the president ordered the return of energy price controls, but the demonstrations expanded to a general outrage against Tukayev and his predecessor in office, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The 81-year-old Nazarbayev ruled Kazakhstan for nearly 30 years, before resigning in 2019 and choosing Tukayev as his successor.

He continued to hold extensive powers, including through the leadership of the National Security Council, but Tokayev replaced him yesterday in office and ousted the nephew of Nazarbayev as deputy chairman of the National Security Committee, the successor to the KGB.

Despite Kazakhstan's many resources, most of its 19 million citizens remain poor.

Kazakhstan is also the second largest source in the world for bitcoin mining after the United States, and the processing power of the virtual currency has plummeted in recent days due to the severe internet disruptions in the country.

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