Kazakhstan: President continues to reorganize leadership - almost 8,000 people arrested

Created: 01/12/2022Updated: 01/12/2022, 05:39 AM

Concerns about an escalation in Kazakhstan are growing: President Tokayev has issued an order to shoot.

A military alliance led by Russia is intervening in the country.

News ticker.

• After violent riots in Kazakhstan * due to rising oil prices, Prime Minister Tokayev asked a Russian-led military alliance for help.

• The federal government is stopping arms exports to the country

  (see update from January 8, 11:28 a.m.).

• President Kassym-Schomart Tokayev is continuing to reorganize the authoritarian state leadership

  (see update from January 8, 3:23 p.m.)

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• Now there have been almost 8,000 arrests in the country after the protests

  (update from January 10, 8:01 a.m.)

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• This

  news ticker

  is updated regularly

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Update from January 10th, 8:01 a.m

.: After the violent protests in Kazakhstan, almost 8,000 people were arrested, according to the authorities.

The Interior Ministry announced on Monday on its website.

The former Soviet republic had been rocked by unprecedented clashes between protesters and security forces last week

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Update from January 8, 4:20 p.m.:

In view of the crisis in Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a long phone call with the Kazakh head of state Kassym-Shomart Tokayev, according to the Kremlin. Putin supports Tokayev's proposal to hold a video summit with the heads of state and government of a Russia-led military alliance in the coming days, a Kremlin statement said on Saturday.

After strong unrest, Tokayev asked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, for help.

A total of around 2,500 foreign soldiers were to be sent to the ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko had also called Tokayev on Saturday morning.

In addition, according to the Kremlin, Putin and Lukashenko also spoke to each other.

Kazakhstan's President dismisses Vice-Secretary of the Security Council

Update from January 8, 3:08 p.m.:

In the  midst of serious unrest, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev is continuing to reorganize the authoritarian state leadership. On Saturday, he dismissed the deputy secretary of the influential Security Council, Asamat Abdymomunov, as reported by the Kazakh state television. Tokayev had previously withdrawn from his predecessor, the first Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the chair, which was endowed with great power, in the body - and took over himself. According to the presidential office, Abdymomunov had been appointed deputy secretary by Nazarbayev more than six years ago.

The 81-year-old Nazarbayev - Tokayev's political foster father - was still considered the most powerful man in Kazakhstan after his resignation in 2019.

Some experts argue that Tokayev is using the current crisis to gain more leverage.

The 68-year-old also replaced the management of the secret service with his own confidante.

Ex-secret service chief Karim Massimow was arrested for high treason, as it became known on Saturday.

Last week, Tokayev had sacked the entire government. 

Federal government bans arms exports to Kazakhstan

Update from January 8, 11:28 a.m.:

In view of the violent conflict in Kazakhstan, the federal government has banned the export of armaments to the country.

According to information from the AFP news agency on Saturday, an export ban was imposed.

Although the value of the arms export licenses to Kazakhstan is low, the export freeze is necessary in view of the situation, it said.

Last year, 25 permits with a total value of around 2.2 million euros were granted.

Kazakhstan: USA "is watching the situation with great concern"

Update from January 8, 8:09 a.m

.: The USA is also reacting to the Kazakhstan crisis.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Friday that it would now be difficult for Kazakhstan to push back Russian influence.

"I think a lesson from recent history is that it is sometimes very difficult to get rid of the Russians once they are in your house," Blinken told reporters.

He urged the foreign troops and the Kazakh authorities to abide by international human rights standards.

"We are watching the situation with great concern and we encourage everyone to find a peaceful solution," he said.

Due to the local situation, the US State Department reacted: It allowed consulate employees who are not responsible for emergencies to leave the country, it said in a statement.

The Foreign Office in Berlin has meanwhile tightened its travel warning for the region: it advised against any travel to Almaty and the Almatin area for the duration of the state of emergency.

Berlin had previously advised against non-essential trips to Kazakhstan.

Update from January 7th, 9:30 p.m.:

In view of the unrest in Kazakhstan, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz * has called for an end to the violence. "Of course, this also applies to the fact that there should be no violence against citizens," said the SPD * politician on Friday in Berlin. Germany is in great harmony with the European Union and many others in the world who said: "Please come back to peaceful further development in the country." The Federal Government must protect the rule of law everywhere.

Unrest in the former Soviet republic was triggered by displeasure at the rise in fuel prices at petrol stations.

They turned into protests, including violent ones, against the government.

In response, President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev dismissed the entire government and imposed a nationwide state of emergency.

On Friday, Tokayev issued an order to shoot protesters

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Russia intervenes in Kazakhstan with a military alliance

Update from January 7th, 3:45 p.m.:

In view of the violent protests in Kazakhstan, a military alliance led by Russia has intervened in the country. At the request of the Kazakh head of state Kassym-Shomart Tokayev, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) launched a military support mission. The military alliance consists of six former Soviet republics and is regarded as a kind of "mini-NATO".

The military expert Pascal Ausseur considers the sending of a CSTO troop to Kazakhstan "a possibility to give the appearance of an intervention of all Caucasus countries - and not only Russia -". In his opinion, the implicit message from Moscow is: “I am cleaning up my own chaos, I lead an organization that can provide ground troops. I am in charge here at home, in my own territory ”. However, the expert warned of possible "missteps" by the troops. Soldiers are "never the right choice" to put an end to violent protests.

Update from January 7, 3:15 p.m.:

Russia's head of state Vladimir Putin has coordinated with his allies in view of the riots in Kazakhstan. According to the Interfax agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that he had also telephoned Kazakh President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev several times. There were also talks with the heads of state and government of a Russian-dominated military alliance of several ex-Soviet republics. The Collective Security Treaty Organization has moved to Kazakhstan at the request of Tokayev's military. The alliance spoke of a total of around 2,500 foreign soldiers who were supposed to support the Kazakh security forces.

China's Prime Minister Xi Jinping has also spoken out in the face of the Kazakhstan crisis * - and praised “strong measures” against the protests.

That is hardly surprising: China itself is not squeamish about its critics.

But Xi doesn't want any unrest in his neighborhood either.

Update from January 7th, 1.30 p.m.:

After the serious riots in Kazakhstan, the federal government urgently called on all actors to be prudent.

The current development and the violence are viewed with great concern, said the deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann on Friday in Berlin.

“Violence can never be an appropriate answer.

That's our belief, ”she said.

"We therefore call on all those involved to de-escalate and find a peaceful solution to the situation."

The Foreign Office said it was investigating reports of some kind of shooting order in the country. "From the point of view of the federal government, it can be clearly stated that the use of deadly force, live ammunition against civilians, especially when military forces are used, can only ever be a very last resort," said a spokesman. The Kazakh government and all those who are responsible are responsible for protecting the civilian population.

The foreign policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Nils Schmid, interpreted the unrest in Kazakhstan as an indication of Russia's weakness.

“Kazakhstan is a reflection of Russia.

It is fixed on gas and oil and ruled in an authoritarian manner.

Stability is bought at the cost of repression and corruption, ”said Schmid to the editorial network Germany (RND).

Russia reserves the right to intervene in the internal affairs of neighboring states.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had to deal with this case.

Kazakhstan News: EU worried

Update from January 7th, 1:15 p.m.:

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron have called for an end to the violence in Kazakhstan. "I am following the situation in Kazakhstan with great concern," said von der Leyen at a joint press conference in Paris on Friday. “I call for an end to violence and restraint,” she added. The rights and safety of the residents should be protected.

The European Union is ready to help where it can, ”said von der Leyen.

Macron also called for “de-escalation” in Kazakhstan.

Von der Leyen is on a two-day visit to Paris with the EU commissioners.

It is the official start of the French EU Council Presidency.

The talks will focus on the big issues France wants to take forward over the next six months.

A bloodbath threatens Kazakhstan: the President gives the demonstrators to shoot - Bushmann is stunned

Update from January 7th, 12.40 p.m.:

Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann has sharply condemned the order to shoot against demonstrators in Kazakhstan. "Anyone who allows demonstrators to be shot without warning in order to kill has left the circle of civilized states," wrote the FDP politician on Twitter on Friday.

The president of the authoritarian country, Kassym-Shomart Tokayev, had previously issued an order to shoot militant demonstrators after unrest. "I gave the order to the security forces and the army to open fire without warning," he said in a TV address. There are calls from abroad for a peaceful solution to the crisis. “What a stupid thing! What kind of negotiations can there be with criminals and murderers? ”Tokayev also described demonstrators as“ terrorists ”and as controlled from abroad. It is currently difficult to independently verify information. The Internet is repeatedly turned off in Kazakhstan and the border has been closed to foreigners.

First report from January 7th, 10:20 am:

Nur-Sultan - After serious riots with dead and injured in Central Asian Kazakhstan, international concerns about a further escalation are growing. Kazakh President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev has given the police an order to shoot in view of the protests that have been going on for days. "I gave the order to fire fatal shots without warning," Tokayev said in a televised address on Friday. He ruled out negotiations and announced that the "armed bandits" would be "eliminated".

Kazakhstan has been rocking unprecedented clashes between protesters and security forces for days.

Protests, which were initially directed against rising gas prices, expanded into mass protests critical of the government across the country.

At Tokayev's request, a "peacekeeping force" led by Russia arrived in the country "to stabilize the situation".

In addition to Russia and Kazakhstan, the alliance also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

These states had also sent armed forces, it was said.

Security forces on duty in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan.

© Valery Sharifulin / dpa

Kazakhstan: Dissident Abliasov speaks of "revolution" - and rebukes Russian "occupation"

The Kazakh opposition politician Muchtar Abliasov, who lives in exile in France, has meanwhile described the protests in his home country as a “revolution”.

"I think the regime is about to end," Abliasov told the AFP news agency on Thursday.

"It's only a matter of time now."

"In three days there was indeed a revolution," he said.

“And people understood they weren't weak.” After years of dissatisfaction with economic problems, “the pent-up frustration has drained.

The moment has come and everything has exploded. "

Abliasov criticized the Russian military operation as an "occupation".

Russian President Vladimir Putin * is working on the "restoration of the old USSR".

But he runs the risk of things going like Ukraine in Kazakhstan: "The more Putin interferes, the more Kazakhstan will become like Ukraine - an enemy state for Russia."

Kazakhstan: Baerbock's Ministry calls for "peaceful solution"

The Foreign Office of Minister Annalena Baerbock reported that they were exchanging ideas with closest local partners about developments in Kazakhstan.

The task now is to find a peaceful solution “within the framework of a comprehensive dialogue with all those involved”.

The violence, but also the massive restrictions on access to the Internet and social media, are viewed with concern. 

According to the Kazakh authorities, more than 1,000 people have been injured and around 2,300 arrested across the country. The General Prosecutor's Office opened criminal proceedings for organizing and participating in mass riots and initiated pre-trial investigations into "carrying out acts of terrorism," as the state broadcaster Khabar 24 reported. 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 sometimes violent protests against the government. Kazakhstan was ruled for decades by the authoritarian ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev, who retained great influence even after his resignation in 2019. (

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