On Saturday, January 15, a resident of Alma-Ata, Rasul, shared in an interview with Izvestia his feelings about what was happening in the city during the riots in Kazakhstan.
“We were sitting at home, it was ordered to stay at home. Thank God that the riots did not affect friends and relatives. It was scary, but everything worked out. I myself am from Alma-Ata, I came to Moscow to visit. Our flight was not canceled, we flew on schedule,” the source said.
His compatriot Murat noted that he and his family also experienced what was happening on the streets at home. There was no Internet, and all the information was received on TV or radio, he explained.
“Now the Internet has worked for us, transport in the city has been launched and repairs are being carried out everywhere,” Murat specified.
The day before, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that during the unrest and the state of emergency in the republic, about 2 thousand people were detained. According to him, those who have committed serious crimes will be punished in accordance with the law. For other persons, the Prosecutor General’s Office was instructed to establish the degree of their guilt.
On January 2, protests began in Kazakhstan due to rising prices for liquefied gas. In some cities, the rallies turned into riots. The situation has escalated especially in the country’s largest city, Alma-Ata.
Radical rioters broke into the administration building, set fire to the prosecutor’s office, the office of the ruling party and seized the presidential residence. During the riots in Kazakhstan, 17 security officials were killed, two of them were beheaded.
According to Tokayev, the hijackers of government offices are groups of terrorists who have received serious training abroad. The Alma-Ata commandant’s office also stated that the brutal actions of the attackers testify to the terrorist and extremist nature of the bandit formations.
For help in overcoming the terrorist threat, the president of the republic turned to the CSTO (which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia). Collective peacekeeping forces were sent to Kazakhstan, which took under protection a number of strategic facilities. On January 12, the CSTO peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan was completed. According to the leader of the republic, the presence of the CSTO peacekeepers made it possible to stabilize the situation in the country, the mission was very successful.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
