Page 7 - FSUOGM Week 01 2021

FSUOGM COMMENTARY FSUOGM

Kazakhstan gripped by protests

over fuel price spike

The situation is fuelling anti-government sentiment

KAZAKHSTAN KAZAKHSTAN was on January 4 gripped by a Republic Square. Live video streams from the
nationwide wave of protests ostensibly triggered square late in the evening showed the entire area
WHAT: by a sudden fuel price rise but in many instances enveloped in thick smoke, Eurasianet reported.
Kazakhstan has quickly turning into general anti-government A Reuters correspondent on the scene reported
increased fuel prices, unrest on the streets. that the tear gas and stun grenades were used to
prompting mass protests. The authorities will on January 5 be hoping stop hundreds of demonstrators from storming
that concessions made by officials and the use the mayor’s office. Almaty-based news web-
WHY: of special powers will be enough to stop the site Zakon.kz reported that several police cars
The government took the protests building and spreading. In commer- had been set alight and that some demonstra-
step amid fuel scarcity. cial capital and largest Kazakh city Almaty, the tors were smashing the windows of stores and
unrest involved thousands of demonstrators restaurants.
WHAT NEXT: who clashed with riot police deploying tear gas Internet connections in parts of Almaty were
The price cap has been and stun grenades, according to Reuters and periodically down. Users of messengers like
reintroduced, although AFP reports. WhatsApp and Telegram reported difficulties in
the damage to the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the getting the apps to function. RFE/RL reported
government’s standing evening of January 4 declared a state of emer- the arrest of two of its journalists covering the
may have already been gency that will apply to Almaty and Mangystau protests.
done. region, the region where the first protests took Tokayev delivered a televised address, calling
place. He added that the government would on protestors to refrain from causing unrest.
meet on January 5 to discuss “the socio-eco- “Do not succumb to provocations from
nomic demands” of protesters. The difficulties in within and outside the country,” he said. “Exhor-
Kazakhstan could be a headache for the Krem- tations to attack civilian and military facilities are
lin, with its Central Asian “backyard” already absolutely unlawful. This is a crime that will be
troubled by the unstable situation in Afghanistan punished. The authorities will not fall, and we
and unresolved tensions between Tajikistan and do not need conflict, but rather mutual trust and
Kyrgyzstan, which clashed militarily last year. dialogue.”
There were reports that Moscow had sent secu- Tokayev’s office said in a statement released
rity council secretary Nikolai Patrushev to con- several hours later that the state of emergency
sult with the Kazakh regime. imposed on Almaty and the Mangystau region,
where the first protests took place, would take
‘Attempt to storm mayor’s office’ immediate effect and remain in place until Jan-
Journalists in Almaty reported hearing the uary 19.
blasts of stun grenades as crowds moved toward

Week 01 05•January•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P7