Moscow: Officials in Kazakhstan said on Monday that police detained around 8,000 people during last week’s violent protests. Officials also said the ex-Soviet nation has faced “the worst unrest” since it gained independence 30 years ago. Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry said a total of 7,939 people have been detained across the country.
The National Security Committee, Kazakhstan’s intelligence and counter-terrorism agency, said on Monday that the situation in the country “has stabilized and is under control.” Authorities have declared Monday a day of mourning for dozens of victims of unprecedented violent unrest. The country’s health ministry said on Sunday that 164 people, including three children, had died in the unrest. The demonstrations began on January 2, after the price of one type of vehicle fuel nearly doubled and quickly spread across the country, apparently reflecting widespread discontent with the ruling government.
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The government then set a 180-day price cap on vehicle fuel and announced a moratorium on the increase in the utility rate. As the unrest escalated, the Council of Ministers resigned and President Kasim-Jomart Tokayev removed former Kazakhstan leader Nursultan Nazarbayev from the post of head of the National Security Council. Despite concessions, the protests turned extremely violent and lasted for several days. Government buildings were set on fire and dozens were killed. In Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, protesters stormed the airport and briefly occupied the airport. There were reports of sporadic firing on the streets of the city for several days.
The authorities declared a state of emergency due to the unrest, and Tokayev requested help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The group has authorized the sending of about 2,500 mostly Russian troops to Kazakhstan as peacekeepers. The organization is a military alliance of six ex-Soviet republics led by Russia. Tokayev, however, said that foreign terrorists had a hand in instigating people to protest, but no leader or organization was seen to be involved in the demonstrations. In a statement on Monday morning, Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry said peaceful protests across the country had been “taken over by terrorist, extremist and criminal groups.”