Within a few days, peaceful protests against gas prices in Kazakhstan turned into a bloody uprising against the dictatorship. Thousands of people are on the streets, city administrations have been stormed in several cities. A dangerous situation, not only for those in power in the ninth largest country in the world.
This text is continuously updated.
is an insignificant city in southwest Kazakhstan. But here last weekend a wave of protests began that has now spread across the entire country. The increased prices for liquefied petroleum gas at filling stations drove people to take to the streets in the freezing cold. After the New Year the prices had increased by 100 percent. The first demonstrators also appeared in the center on Sunday. Two days later, the protests spread across the entire Central Asian Republic.
In an attempt to halt the protests, the government announced a cut in gas prices. But in vain. Economic demands quickly turned into political demands. On Tuesday evening, thousands of people marched through the capital and chanted “Old man, go away!”. What is meant is Kazakhstan’s long-term ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev. In 2019 he resigned as president after three decades. But as chairman of the party, head of the Security Council and “leader of the nation” he still holds all strings of power in his hands.
The official successor to the office of President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev was of course unable to offer the demonstrators the resignation of his master. Instead, his entire government cabinet resigned on Wednesday. The previous Vice-Prime Minister Älichan Smajylow is to take over the official business temporarily,.
Protesters take government buildings
But even this step did not stop the protests. On the contrary. In the economic metropolis and former capital Almaty, the riots culminated in the storm of the city administration on Wednesday morning. Armed with shields, pipes and sticks, the demonstrators took the building, reports the news agency “Sputnik Kazakhstan”. Video recordings show the storming of the government building.
In the meantime, the city administration and the headquarters of the public prosecutor’s office, which had also been captured, are on fire.
According to the authorities, some of the protesters tried to break into the former president’s residence on Wednesday afternoon while the security forces inside are on the defensive. Flames could be seen there too. “Everything nearby is covered in smoke, explosions of stun grenades and shots can be heard,” reported the local Internet portal Vlast. Military units are to be assembled in Almaty to quell the protests, reported the news agency KazTAG.
Already in the night there were violent clashes between the police and the demonstrators in Almaty. Police used tear gas and stun grenades, according to local media reports. Explosion noises could be heard in videos. Pictures showed police cars on fire. According to the Interior Ministry, the security forces arrested more than 200 people. According to official information, 190 people were injured, including 137 police officers. 40 people were taken to hospitals.
Protesters storm government buildings in smaller towns as well
Similar scenes are playing out in other cities in the oil-rich country. The protesters overcame the police barriers and broke into the regional administration building, reports the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency. The city administration also succeeded in taking it.
Tokayev had initially tried to calm the heated mood with urgent appeals. “Do not respond to calls to storm official buildings. It is a crime,” said the head of state. Until January 19, the state of emergency will apply in some parts of the country, including in the capital Nur-Sultan, in Almaty and in the Mangystau region in western Kazakhstan. Associated with this are curfews during the night and ban on gatherings.
The Internet has apparently been switched off across the country, reports the BBC, citing the blockage monitoring service GlobalCheck. Messenger services such as Telegram and WhatsApp have already been blocked. Train and flight connections will be interrupted. Media and news agencies are also blocked.
Several TV channels are said to have interrupted their programs. Protesters hijack fire and police vehicles in Almaty. Arms shops are looted. Video footage showed demonstrators in the streets disarming police forces and taking their weapons.
According to eyewitnesses and local media, security forces are said to have joined the demonstrators in several cities. Like here in the city of Aktobe:
Kremlin alarmed about the protests in Kazakhstan
Vladimir Putin is one of the people who is closely following the situation in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is Russia’s most important ally. In 2010 the two countries founded the customs union together with Belarus. Any domestic political instability in the neighboring state, with which Russia connects the longest border and on whose territory the Baikonur spaceport is located, could also pose a threat to the Kremlin. The Russian Federation will do everything in its power not to let Kazakhstan out of its sphere of influence. As long as the long-term ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev holds the strings in hand, Putin can be sure of his influence. However, a real change of power would endanger them.
The first voices are already being heard in Moscow that the protests could be the beginning of the next “Orange Revolution” modeled on the Ukraine – an absolute nightmare for the Kremlin.
Source From: Stern
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