- The situation in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which was severely shaken by the riots, remains puzzling.
- Nationally, on Saturday, state television reported, citing the Ministry of Interior, that more than 4,400 people had been arrested.
- At least 40 people are said to have been killed as per President Kassim Shomart Tokayev’s orders to shoot on Friday – including the security forces.
Recently, operations focused on the city of Almaty, which has been experiencing riots for days. According to the portal Vlast.kz, there were shootings in at least two places in the economic capital. Explosions also occurred. Security forces patrolled in armored vehicles.
Since the authorities have turned off the Internet in Almaty and the cellular connection is constantly interrupted, it is difficult to obtain secure information from there. Currently, foreigners are not allowed to enter the former Soviet Republic.
The photos show armed security forces driving away protesters. The sounds of gunshots can be heard on videos on social networks purporting to be from Almaty.
Also resentment towards former ruler Nazarbayev
President Kassym Shumart Tokayev, 68, ordered a national mourning on Monday to commemorate the victims. At the same time, he continued to rebuild the government.
Legend:
President Tokayev gave security forces an order to shoot protesters on Friday.
Keystone
According to state media, he has fired the influential deputy secretary of the Security Council, Osama Abdulmomonov, who was appointed by his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev a few years ago. Tokayev had withdrawn Nazarbayev himself from the presidency of the body – and took up the matter himself.
Legend:
Nursultan Nazarbayev: The former president, who resigned in 2019, is considered the real strongman in the authoritarian former Soviet Republic.
Keystone
The protestors’ discontent was also directed against the long-time authoritarian ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev. There were rumors that the 81-year-old had left Kazakhstan. But the spokesman, Agdus Okibag, wrote on Twitter: “The leader of the nation is in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan.” Former President Nazarbayev is in direct contact with Tokayev. The former president, who resigned in 2019, is considered the real strongman in the authoritarian former Soviet republic.
President Tokayev had suddenly requested support from a Russian-dominated military alliance. The CSTO sent a total of 2,500 Allied soldiers to Kazakhstan, including Russian paratroopers.
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