Kazakhstan: At least 26 protesters dead as President Tokayev orders 'fire without warning'

In Kazakhstan, at least 26 protesters have died and thousands were detained in the deadly protests over fuel price hike that turned into a riot. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has claimed that constitutional order has been broadly restored after several days of demonstrations that witnessed 26 people “liquidated” and over 3,000 detained. After the country was engulfed in unrest sparked by protests over sudden fuel prices and long-standing frustrations over the political and economic situations, Tokayev on Friday said that he has authorised security forces to “fire without warning”.

According to BBC, Kazakh President, in his address, also said that “20,000 bandits” had attacked the main city Almaty which became the epicentre of demonstrations. Tokayev blamed the foreign-trained “terrorists” without any other evidence for the unrest in the Central Asina state. His remarks came after the Kazakh interior ministry said that 26 “armed criminals” and 18 security officers were killed in the riots.

Tokayev, in the televised address said that the peacekeeping forces sent by Russia and other neighbouring states had arrived in Kazakhstan at his request and will remain in the country on a temporary basis in a bid to ensure security. The Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) reportedly sent a force of about 2,500 soldiers. For this, Tokayev gave “special thanks" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Unrest in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan was hit by a wave of protests triggered by a two-fold increase in fuel prices, but they turned violent on Wednesday when protesters in Almaty stormed the presidential residence and the mayor’s office and set both on fire, as per media reports. Initially, protests started with people in Zhanaozen and Aktau opposing fuel prices hike for liquefied natural gas. The unrest then spread to other cities including the nation’s most populous city, Almaty. Clashes between protesters and security forces took place in Almaty on 4-5 January before further escalating into a violent riot.

However, following the grim developments including the riot and the resignation of the government due to unrest, BBC stated that Kazakhstan’s government has agreed to restore the vehicle fuel price caps for six months. In the same period of 180 days, the petrol and diesel prices will also be capped. LPG prices had doubled after the limit was removed this week, triggering demonstrations that turned into deadly unrest in the Central Asian country.

Image: AP