2022 Kazakh unrest

"January tragedy" redirects here. For 1990 crackdowns in Azerbaijan, see Black January.

2022 Kazakh unrest
Burned Almaty City Akimat
Clockwise from top: Burned out Akimat in Republic Square • Protest in Aktobe on 4 January 2022 • Burned police paddy wagon in Almaty • Tajik Armed Forces of the CSTO peacekeeping forces in Almaty Power Station-1 • Overturned police vehicle in Almaty
Date2–11 January 2022
(1 week and 2 days)
Location
Kazakhstan
Caused by
Goals
Methods
Resulted in
Parties
Lead figures

No centralized leadership[1]

Units involved
Number

Over +2,000 people[9][10][11][12][original research?]
According to government:

20,000 (Almaty)
3,800[5]
Casualties and losses
238 killed[13]
9,900+ arrested[14]
19 killed[13]
No casualties reported

The 2022 Kazakh unrest,[a] also known as January Events,[b][15][16][17] Bloody January,[c][18][19] or the January Tragedy,[d][20][21] was a series of mass protests and civil unrest that began in Kazakhstan on 2 January 2022 after a sudden sharp increase in liquefied petroleum gas prices following the lifting of a government-enforced price cap on 1 January. The protests began peacefully in the oil-producing city of Zhanaozen and quickly spread to other cities in the country, especially the nation's largest city, Almaty, which saw its demonstrations turn into violent riots, fueled by rising dissatisfaction with the government and widespread poverty.[22][23] During the week-long violent unrest and crackdowns, 227 people were killed and over 9,900 were arrested, according to Kazakh officials.[13][14]

Growing discontent with the government and former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who remained the chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan, also influenced larger demonstrations. According to the government’s version of events, organised criminal groups hijacked peaceful protests as an attempt at a coup d’état. Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor General Berik Asylov stated in January 2023 that suspected organisers of the disturbances included high-ranking officials and members of organised crime groups. As there were no unified opposition groups against the Kazakh government, the unrest appeared to be assembled directly by citizens. In response, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency in Mangystau Region and Almaty, effective from 5 January 2022. The Prime Minister Asqar Mamin resigned the same day,[24][25][26] and Nazarbayev himself was also removed from his position of chairman of the Security Council.[27] The state of emergency was shortly extended to the whole country. In response to Tokayev's request, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a military alliance of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan – agreed to deploy troops in Kazakhstan.[28] The aim was declared to be peacekeeping while some commentators described it as helping the Kazakh government in quelling the unrest.[29][30] Russian President Vladimir Putin described the intervention as a concerted effort to protect regional allies from what he described as colour revolutions "instigated by foreign interference in allies' internal affairs".[31] CSTO troops were initially deployed to government buildings in the capital city, Astana, and then guarded key infrastructure in Almaty.[32] The CSTO said they did not fire a single shot while in Kazakh territory and were removed upon the first request of the Kazakh government.[33]

As a concession, Tokayev announced that vehicle gas price caps of 50 tenge per litre would be restored for six months.[34][35][36] On 7 January, he said in a statement that constitutional order had "largely been restored in all regions of the country."[37][38][39] He also announced that he had ordered troops to use lethal force against armed groups, authorizing instructions to "shoot to kill" without warning, calling the protesters "bandits and terrorists" and saying that the use of force would continue to "destroy the protests."[40][41][42][43] Commenting on the use of lethal force against protesters, Kazakh Prosecutor General Berik Asylov said that the fire was opened before the president’s statement. “In fact, law enforcement officers do not need a special command to shoot at criminals. There are explicit norms in the laws on law enforcement, the National Guard, and counter-terrorism, which allow the fire to repel an attack when there is a threat to life and health. This is exactly the situation that occurred on Jan. 5,” Asylov said.[44]

On 10 January 2022, the government declared a national day of mourning for those who died during the unrest.[45] On 11 January, Tokayev said that order had been restored in Kazakhstan in what he described as an attempted coup d'état.[46] He also announced that CSTO troops would begin withdrawing from the country on 13 January,[14] and they were fully withdrawn by 20 January.[47] In an 11 January speech to the Parliament, Tokayev promised reform and acknowledged public discontent over income inequality and criticized Nazarbayev and his associates over their wealth.[48] The same day, international flights were resumed to and from the country's capital, Astana.[49] He also nominated a new prime minister that day, Älihan Smaiylov,[14] and later fired the defence minister Murat Bektanov on 18 January.[50] On 16 March 2022, Tokayev delivered a State of the Nation Address to both chambers of Parliament in which he outlined a New Kazakhstan program of economic and political reforms.[51]

On June 5, Kazakh citizens voted in a national referendum on a package of reforms intended to transform the country from a super-presidential system to a “presidential system with a strong parliament”. The Central Election Commission said that 77.18% of Sunday's votes were in favour of the amendments, which decentralise decision-making in the oil-rich country and strip former strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev of his "national leader" status. Turnout was 68.06%.[52]


Cite error: There are <ref group=n> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=n}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Zhovtis, Yevgeniy (January 11, 2022). "Do Kazakhstan's protests signal an end to the Nazarbayev era?". www.aljazeera.com (Interview). Interviewed by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska. Retrieved January 12, 2022. It is important to understand that protesters are never a unified mass. It is not that a single group or political party took to the streets. In all the regions where the protests took place, it was a mixed group of people.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "CSTO agrees to intervene in Kazakhstan unrest". Eurasianet. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Commander of the Airborne Forces Serdyukov became the head of the CSTO peacekeepers in Kazakhstan. (In Russian)". Ria Novosti. 7 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Pannier, Bruce (6 January 2022). "Analysis: The Consequences Of Inviting Russian-Led CSTO Troops Into Kazakhstan". RFE/RL. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Russia is reportedly sending 3,000 soldiers to Kazakhstan, Belarus some 500, Tajikistan 200, and Armenia 70, with Kyrgyzstan set to decide on January 7.
  6. ^ "Миротворческая рота 103-й воздушно-десантной бригады ССО вылетела в Казахстан". Belteleradio. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Kyrgyzstan to send around 150 soldiers to Kazakhstan – report". akipress.com. AKIpress News Agency. 7 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Armenian peacekeepers left for Kazakhstan". mil.am. Ministry of Defense of Armenia. 7 January 2022. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. ...RA Armed Forces sent a peacekeeping subdivision to the Republic of Kazakhstan (100 servicemen) as part of the CSTO peacekeeping forces.
  9. ^ "Протесты против повышения цены на топливо в Казахстане переросли в столкновения с полицией. Власти начали блокировать интернет". Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Протесты". meduza.io. 4 January 2022.
  11. ^ Тойкен, Сания; Мамашулы, Асылхан; Омирбек, Дархан; Иса, Дилара (3 January 2022). ""Акимов должен выбирать народ!" Протест в Жанаозене: от призывов снизить цены до политических требований". Радио Азаттык (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  12. ^ "В Атырау и Уральске сотни человек вышли на митинги в поддержку протестующих в Мангистау - Аналитический интернет-журнал Vласть". vlast.kz (in Russian). 4 January 2022. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "Russia-Led Military Alliance Completes Withdrawal From Kazakhstan". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d "Kazakh President Announces CSTO Troop Withdrawal, Appoints New PM". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  15. ^ Iskakova, Botagoz. "Озвучены новые подробности о январских событиях". Kapital. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Хронология: 2022 жылғы Қаңтар оқиғасы". Báribar (in Kazakh). Almaty. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  17. ^ Gotev, Georgi (23 January 2023). "One year after tragic January events, Kazakhstan says it's changed". Euractiv. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  18. ^ Imamova, Navbahor (16 February 2022). "Kazakhstan Seeks Lessons From Its Bloody January". VOA. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Қанды қаңтар: Перзентінен айырылған ата-ана, жетім қалған бала..." inbusiness.kz (in Kazakh). 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  20. ^ "Қаңтар трагедиясы: Ұрлық пен тонау фактісі бойынша 1674 іс тіркелген". lenta.inform.kz (in Kazakh). 5 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  21. ^ "Timeline: January tragedy in Kazakhstan". www.kt.kz. 16 January 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  22. ^ Lillis, Joanna (3 January 2022). "Kazakhstan: Gas price hike fuels Zhanaozen protests". eurasianet.org. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Auyezov, Olzhas (5 January 2022). "Kazakhstan government's resignation fails to quell protests". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  25. ^ Walker, Shaun (5 January 2022). "Kazakhstan protests: government resigns amid rare outbreak of unrest". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guardian_Moscow_led_alliance was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Jacobs, Harrison (6 January 2022). "Russia-led alliance troops have arrived in Kazakhstan after mass protests". NPR. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  28. ^ Hopkins, Valerie; Nechepurenko, Ivan (5 January 2022). "Russia-Allied Forces to Intervene as Unrest Sweeps Kazakhstan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  29. ^ Sabin, Lamiat; Sullivan, Rory (6 January 2022). "Russian troops arrive in Kazakhstan to quell unrest as police say officer beheaded". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  30. ^ Rickleton, Chris (21 October 2022). "Russia's Unhappy Club: The CSTO". RFE/RL.
  31. ^ "Vladimir Putin vows to stop 'colour revolutions' after sending troops to Kazakhstan". Financial Times. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  32. ^ Auyezov, Olzhas; Gordeyeva, Mariya (13 January 2022). Fletcher, Philippa (ed.). "Russia-led bloc starts Kazakhstan pullout after possible coup bid crushed". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022.
  33. ^ "EurActiv".
  34. ^ "Kazakhstan declares state of emergency in protest-hit city, province". Reuters. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  35. ^ "Kazakhstan unrest: Government restores fuel price cap after bloodshed". BBC News. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  36. ^ Kussainova, Meiramgul (6 January 2022). "Kazakhstan imposes 180-day state regulation on fuel, food prices amid protests". aa.com.tr. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  37. ^ Auyezov, Olzhas (7 January 2022). "Kazakh president says constitutional order mostly restored". Reuters. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  38. ^ "Kazakhstan unrest: Fresh gunfire as president says order largely restored". BBC News. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Kazakh President: Constitutional Order Restored". voanews.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  40. ^ Child, David; Safdar, Anealla (7 January 2022). "Kazakh leader tells troops to shoot without warning". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  41. ^ Walker, Shaun (7 January 2022). "Kazakhstan president says he gave order to 'open fire with lethal force'". the Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  42. ^ Litvinova, Dasha (7 January 2022). "Kazakh leader ordered use of lethal force on 'terrorists'". Associated Press. AP NEWS. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  43. ^ Auyezov, Olzhas (7 January 2022). "Kazakh president gives shoot-to-kill order to put down uprising". Reuters. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  44. ^ "Astana Times".
  45. ^ Litvinova, Dasha (10 January 2022). "Nearly 8,000 detained in Kazakhstan amid unrest". AP NEWS. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  46. ^ Cite error: The named reference :18 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  47. ^ "Post-Soviet security bloc's last peacekeepers depart from Kazakhstan for Moscow". TASS. 19 January 2022.
  48. ^ Vaal, Tamara (11 January 2022). "Russian troops to quit Kazakhstan, says president, taking aim at the elite". Reuters. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  49. ^ "В Нур-Султане восстановили международное авиасообщение". РБК (in Russian). 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  50. ^ "Kazakhstan president fires defence minister for lack of leadership during protests". Reuters. 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  51. ^ "Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Delivers State-of-the-Nation Address to the People of Kazakhstan". Akorda.kz. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022.
  52. ^ "Reuters".


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).