Protests in Kazakhstan: country's leader instructed to shoot to kill without warning
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered security officials to “shoot without warning” to quell violent protests that paralyzed the former Soviet republic and reportedly claimed dozens of lives. The edition told in more detail CNN.
Tokayev said the protests against rising fuel prices were organized by well-trained "terrorist bandits" both inside and outside the country. Kazakh state media reported on Friday that 18 security personnel, two of whom were found decapitated, and 26 "armed criminals" were killed in violent protests. More than 3000 people were detained. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also reports about 748 wounded among the security forces.
Tokayev said the situation has "stabilized" in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, and that "the imposition of a state of emergency is yielding results."
“But terrorists continue to damage public and private property and use weapons against citizens,” he said. “I gave the order to law enforcement agencies and the army to open fire without warning.”
Tokayev said the violence was the product of a well-organized enemy armed with sleeping cells carrying out "terrorist attacks" and "specialists trained in ideological sabotage, skillfully using disinformation or" fakes "and capable of manipulating people's moods."
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“Their actions showed the presence of a clear plan for attacks on military, administrative and social targets in almost all directions, well-coordinated coordination of actions, high combat readiness and bestial cruelty,” Tokayev said. “They need to be destroyed.”
People "want the truth"
However, several protesters who spoke to international media denied these allegations.
“We are not thugs or terrorists,” one woman said. “Only corruption flourishes here.”
Another man said that people "want the truth."
“The government is rich, but all these people have loans to pay off. We have pain and we want to share it,” he said.
The demonstrations pose the biggest challenge to the autocrat's rule as initial public anger over rising fuel prices has grown into broader discontent with the government over corruption, living standards, poverty and unemployment in the oil-rich country - all of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. experts say.
“This government is very out of touch with the reality of what is happening on the ground. This is a country where there are no institutions through which to protest; the only route is through the streets,” says Paul Stronski of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
According to local media reports, protesters in Almaty stormed the airport, broke into government buildings and set fire to the city administration building. Dozens of people were reported killed and hundreds more injured in clashes on 6 January.
There were also reports of nationwide internet outages and damage in other major cities, although Tokayev said the internet was gradually recovering as the situation stabilized. The authorities had previously declared a nationwide state of emergency with curfews and travel restrictions until January 19, according to local media reports.
In his address, Tokayev emphasized that peaceful assemblies were legalized in 2020 to promote democracy. However, he said calls from abroad for a peaceful solution were “nonsense.”
“What kind of negotiations can there be with criminals, murderers?” - Tokayev added.
Introduction of CSTO troops
Tokayev said that a contingent of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance made up of former Soviet republics, arrived in the country “for a short period of time” to perform protection and support functions.
Secretary General of the organization Stanislav Zas said that about 3600 CSTO employees will be sent to Kazakhstan to protect state and strategic facilities and maintain public order.
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Tokayev thanked the heads of the CSTO countries for their support and expressed "special gratitude" to Russian President Vladimir Putin for "very promptly and, most importantly, in a friendly way" responded to my appeal about the CSTO contingent.
The Kazakh leader also thanked the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, the presidents of other CSTO member states, the presidents of Uzbekistan, Turkey and the "leaders of the UN and other international organizations for their words of support."
Kazakhstan, the ninth largest country in the world and the largest economy in Central Asia, often boasts of its stability in a region that has experienced many conflicts.
Even before independence in 1991, the country's political scene was dominated by one man: Nursultan Nazarbayev. The longtime president and former Communist Party official ruled for nearly three decades before stepping down in 2019. His autocratic governance has sparked international concern and led authorities to crack down harshly on protests, jail critics and crack down on press freedom, according to global rights groups. Critics have accused Nazarbayev of appointing family members and allies to key government positions, and his family is believed to control much of Kazakhstan's economy.
Nazarbayev was best known in the West for his renunciation of nuclear weapons and the transfer of the capital to the futuristic city of Astana, which was later renamed Nur-Sultan in his honor.
The human rights organization Amnesty International said the protests are "a direct consequence of the authorities' widespread crackdown on fundamental human rights."
“For years, the government has ruthlessly persecuted peaceful dissent, leaving the Kazakh people in a state of unrest and despair,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International's director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
As ForumDaily wrote earlier:
- In Kazakhstan, rallies for lowering prices for liquefied gas grew into massive protests across the country... President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the resignation of the government led by Askar Mamin. A state of emergency (state of emergency) has been introduced throughout the country. A tense situation remains in a number of cities. The President appealed for help to the CSTOcalling the protesters "terrorists" and "international gangs."
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