Mass protests in Kazakhstan: airport seized, state of emergency declared, government resigned

Kazakhstan was gripped by massive protests over the rise in prices for liquefied gas. A state of emergency has been declared in the country, the government has been dismissed. BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the protesters conspirators who are “financially motivated.” He promised to act as harshly as possible against protesters who clash with the police.

In a televised address to the population, Tokayev also announced that from now on he, and not the “father of the nation” Nursultan Nazarbayev, heads the Security Council of Kazakhstan. The post of Security Council secretary is one of several top positions left to Nazarbayev, who ruled Kazakhstan for 30 years, after stepping down as president in 2019. He also holds the position of head of his party, Nur Otan, and bears the honorary title of Elbasy, or “father of the nation.”

The Internet has been cut off throughout the country, and landline telephone connections have been cut off in some cities; at least eight TV channels have gone off the air.

Protesters set fire to an administration building in Almaty, and clashes continue between demonstrators and police in the city. According to the commandant of Almaty, more than 500 people were injured. Kanat Tatsmerdenov also said that 120 cars, including police and ambulances, were burned in the city overnight, 120 shops and kiosks and 180 restaurants and cafes were destroyed.

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On the morning of January 5, Kazakh President Tokayev dismissed the government, blaming it for “allowing a protest situation” and gave instructions to introduce state regulation of prices in the country for socially important goods, as well as gasoline and diesel. In addition, he proposed a moratorium on increasing utility tariffs for the population for a period of 180 days.

Protests and clashes in Almaty

More than a thousand people broke through to the building of the Almaty administration on January 5 in the morning. Footage is being circulated on social media showing demonstrators climbing the steps of the building and entering it. In some cases, protesters take control of special vehicles.

Protesters have entered city akimat of Almaty https://t.co/3f90UNUFUQ pic.twitter.com/xEqUjz6xdj

- Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) January 5, 2022

Shooting was heard in the area of ​​the building. Demonstrators entered the building "through doors, broken windows, judging by the sounds, breaking equipment." “The police holding back the assault on the demonstrators are trying to escape, the protesters are beating them,” Interfax reports.

Kazakh media reported that demonstrators also tried to break into the territory of the presidential residence in Almaty. According to the publication Vlast, near the complex “everything around is in smoke, explosions of flash-noise grenades and shots can be heard.” Interfax reports that a fire started in the residence.

Performances also do not stop in other regions of Kazakhstan. Hundreds of people remain in the central square of the city of Aktau, the administrative center of the Mangistau region, according to the Kazakhstani service of Radio Liberty.

Interfax reports that in Aktobe, in western Kazakhstan, about a thousand protesters stood near the regional administration, who burn fires to keep warm. According to Radio Liberty, the demonstrators tried to break into the administrative building, the police used tear gas.

Protesters crash police cars in Almaty

Video: "Mediazona" pic.twitter.com/4cT7xrOTOO

- Mediazona. Central Asia (@mediazona_ca) January 4, 2022

Delphi citing eyewitnesses, he writes about the seizure of the airport in Almaty by the protesters. Blogger Alisher Yelikbaev, who was in a hotel near the airport and intended to fly out of Almaty at night, announced the cancellation of all flights.

“All day long, passengers were told that the army was protecting the airport, planes were flying as normal, and check-in was going on manually. Now the airport security service told us: “Sorry, the airport has been seized. There will be no flights today,” he said.

The press service of Almaty airport confirmed its capture by demonstrators. “According to preliminary data, there are now about 45 invaders at the airport. As soon as they entered, our employees left the airport. There were no passengers in the terminal at the time of the siege. We quickly evacuated passengers in advance,” the airport said.

TASS writes that passengers have become hostages of the situation - people cannot return, exchange and buy tickets due to the lack of the Internet. Late flights at the capital's airport have been canceled due to the curfew.

The airport in Aktau also does not work. Air Astana announced that all flights from Nur-Sultan to this city have been canceled.

What did Tokayev say?

On January 5, Tokayev made a televised address where he called the protesters conspirators: “The high level of organization of the hooligan elements is noteworthy. This demonstrates a carefully thought out plan of action by the conspirators who are financially motivated.”

Photo: Shutterstock

“Precisely the conspirators. Therefore, as the head of state and from today on, the chairman of the Security Council intends to act as harshly as possible,” he says. “This is a question of the security of our state.” I'm sure the people will support me. Whatever happens, I will be in the capital."

Internet is being blocked throughout the country

The operator Kazakhtelecom has turned off the Internet throughout the country, reports the blocking monitoring service GlobalCheck. According to the service, the Internet does not work for both mobile and wired operators.

“Currently, the competent authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan are taking measures to suspend the operation of networks and the provision of communication services in the interests of ensuring public safety,” a Kcell representative commented on the outage.

The British company NetBlocks, which monitors the state of the Internet around the world, confirms: in Kazakhstan, the Internet is blocked, traffic has collapsed.

State of emergency

On January 4, the President of Kazakhstan declared a state of emergency in the country's largest city, Almaty and Mangistau Oblast, where protests against the rise in fuel prices continue. On Wednesday, a state of emergency was declared in the Almaty region, as well as in the capital of the country, Nur-Sultan. For the time of emergency, entry into the Almaty region, as well as exit from it, is limited. Peaceful gatherings, strikes, and public events are prohibited.

The state of emergency in the country was introduced until January 19. The presidential decree, announced on January 5, also calls for a curfew from 11 pm to 7 am and a ban on public events. Earlier, Tokayev recorded a video message in which he urged the protesters to show prudence and not to commit illegal actions.

Gas protests in Kazakhstan escalated into clashes with police

In this address, which was published on Facebook by his press secretary Berik Uali, Tokayev insisted that power would not fall due to protests, and that what Kazakhstan needs is not conflict, but mutual trust and dialogue. The President also asked his compatriots not to succumb to provocations and reminded that attacks on government institutions and military installations are illegal.

Tokayev also promised on Twitter that on January 5 he would hold a government meeting at which the demands of the protesters would be discussed.

The protests that began on January 2 in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan due to the increase in prices for liquefied gas by Tuesday covered almost all major cities of the country. In many cases, spontaneous demonstrations escalated into clashes with police officers.

Police in Almaty on January 4 used tear gas and flashbangs to disperse hundreds of protesters who tried to storm the city hall.

Agence France-Presse reporters based in Almaty report that several protesters and police were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Police say more than 200 people have been detained as a result of the protests.

According to the Kazakh portal zakon.kz, by evening the police pushed almost all the protesters from the Republic Square, while several police cars caught fire during the riots.

The center of Almaty is buzzing, explosions are heard.

Explosion: social networks pic.twitter.com/tiY4lMsLy6

- New Newspaper (@novaya_gazeta) January 4, 2022

Eyewitnesses and correspondents reported that the sounds of explosions in Almaty continued to be heard at night.

The government commission promised the protesters to reduce the price of gas and gave guarantees not to prosecute them. Despite this, many of the demonstrators refused to disperse.

In Aktau, the protesters demanded a meeting with the president of the country, in other cities there were demands for the resignation of the government and an increase in the standard of living of the people.

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Earlier, the regional authorities raised the price of liquefied gas from about 1 cents to 14 cents per liter from January 27, which caused discontent among people.

Protests began in the town of Zhanaozen, where police opened fire on protesters in 2011.

The US Embassy in Kazakhstan issued a call to compatriots in this country to exercise caution and avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place. “Unauthorized demonstrations usually end in mass arrests... Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can escalate into confrontation and violence,” the diplomatic mission said.

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