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The 2022 Kazakh protests was a series of demonstrations in the Republic of Kazakhstan between 2–10 January, 2022.[1] The protests began as a response to an increase in fuel prices, which spiked after the government lifted price caps.[2] The protests were organized by local residents in the oil town of Zhanaozen, a city on the western Mangystau region, one of the largest oil producing regions of Kazakhstan.[3] As concessions to the protestors, the government restored oil price controls in Mangystau and every member of the current cabinet in Kazakhstan has also resigned.[4][5]
Although the majority of protesters were on the streets for legitimate reasons concerning their living standards, demonstrations from extremist groups began in 16 December, 2021 demanding the resignation of the government, and were alerted beforehand to the US Embassy in Kazakhstan.[6] The 16 December demonstrations were led by the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK), a banned organization founded by fugitive banker Mukhtar Ablyazov, convicted of money laundering, embezzlement and leading criminal organizations.[7] The DVK promised to compensate protestors, police, soldiers, and prosecutors who aided the protests if they successfully overthrew the Kazakh government.[8] The United States regime change organization National Endowment for Democracy funds more than 20 organizations inside Kazakhstan.[9]
The situation led to the responses of the governments of Russia, China, Belarus and Turkey in support of the Kazakh government.[10] The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance between post-Soviet states, has agreed to intervene in the protests.[11] The protesters pulled down the statue of Nursultan Nazarbayev,[12] a Kazakh politician who supported the dissolution of the USSR, and for decades in power, promoted neoliberal policies.[13]
The communist parties of Greece (KKE) and Russian Federation (CPRF) released statements in support of the protests and criticizing the Kazakh government.[14][15] The CPRF has noted, however, that these protests may be used in the context of a hybrid war against Russia, as Kazakhstan is very rich in natural resources and shares more than 7,500 km of borders with the Russian Federation. The CPRF has published a longer statement with an analysis on the situation.[16][a] The general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and president of China Xi Jinping released a statement stating China firmly opposes any attempt by external forces to "instigate a color revolution" in Kazakhstan.[17] The US, without being directly asked about the accusations, immediately went on the defensive and sought to debunk "crazy Russian claims" that the US is behind the unrest in Kazakhstan.[18]
The New Atlas has reported on the US's role in stoking the unrest in Kazakhstan.[19] Journalist Pepe Escobar on The Grayzone mentioned that this event began as a genuine protests but was later co-opted by Western / NATO powers to try to implement a regime change operation.[20]
CSTO response[edit | edit source]
Kazakhstan is part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military organisation whose members promote security, military cooperation, and the sovereignty of post-Soviet nation-states.
As such, president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited Russian troops from the CSTO agreement in Kazakhstan to help control the protests. So far, 2500 troops have arrived[21] and their mission, as stated by Chairman of State Duma's Committee for CIS Leonid Kalashnikov will be to protect infrastructure. Kalashnikov also stated the troops are allowed to use their weapons if attacked by "armed gangs".[22] He further claimed the troops would be in Kazakhstan for days, maybe weeks, clarifying he sees a quick resolution to the protests.[23]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Kazakhstan's president says order restored after crackdown on protests" (2022-01-10). ABC News.
- ↑ "Protests erupt in Kazakhstan after fuel price rise" (2022-01-04). Al Jazeera.
- ↑ Joanna Lillis (2022-01-03). "Kazakhstan: Gas price hike fuels Zhanaozen protests"
- ↑ Nur-Sultan (2022-01-04). "Protests in Kazakhstan. The main thing" TASS.
- ↑ Al Jazeera (2022-01-04). "Protests erupt in Kazakhstan after fuel price rise"
- ↑ "Demonstration Alert: U.S. Mission Kazakhstan December 16, 2021" (2021-12-15). US Embassy and Consulate in Kazakhstan. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ↑ "Fugitive banker calls himself leader of protests in Kazakhstan" (2021-01-07). TASS Russian News Agency.
- ↑ "КОМПЕНСАЦИИ И СПИСАНИЕ КРЕДИТОВ". Democratic Choice for Kazakhstan. Archived from the original on 2022-05-10.
- ↑ "Kazakhstan" (2021-02-18). National Endowment for Democracy.
- ↑ "Протесты в Казахстане. Главное" (2022-01-05).
- ↑ Joshua Kucera (2022-01-05). "CSTO agrees to intervene in Kazakhstan unrest" Eurasianet.
- ↑ "Kazakhstan protesters pull down statue of ex-leader in largest rallies since fall of Soviet Union" (2022-01-05). The Telegraph.
- ↑ “[...] In the years of independence, the young Kazakhstani bourgeoisie went the farthest among its counterparts in the CIS in its obsession with market fundamentalism, thorough privatisation and social irresponsibility of the state, and it built what is probably the most neoliberal of capitalisms among the post-Soviet states”
Timur Dautov (2019-03-21). "Kazakhstan without Nazarbayev?" In Defence of Marxism. Retrieved 2022-01-08. - ↑ Коммунистическая партия РФ (КПРФ) (2022-01-05). "VK post" Archived from the original on 2022-01-05. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ↑ International Relations Section of the CC of the KKE (2022-01-05). "On the people’s mobilizations in Kazakhstan"
- ↑ Press Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (2022-01-08). "Голос трудящихся Казахстана должен быть услышан вопреки провокаторам!"
- ↑ "Xi Jinping Sends a Verbal Message to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev" (2022-01-07). Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America.
- ↑ Callie Patteson (2022-01-05). "White House dismisses ‘crazy Russian claims’ that US is behind Kazakhstan unrest" NY Post. Archived from the original on 2022-01-06.
- ↑ Brian Berletic (2022-01-10). "Washington's Role in Kazakhstan's Chaos" The New Atlas.
- ↑ "Kazakhstan coup fails, US-Russia talks go nowhere. Is war on horizon?".
- ↑ David Child, Anealla Safdar, Mersiha Gadzo (2022-01-06). "Russian troops arrive in crisis-hit Kazakhstan: Live updates" Al Jazeera.
- ↑ Akipress.com (2022-01-06). "CSTO to ensure safety of infrastructure in Kazakhstan - State Duma member" Akipress. Archived from the original.
- ↑ Nariman Gizitdinov (2022-01-06). Crackdown Deepens as Russian Troops Arrive: Kazakh Update Bloomberg. Archived from the original.
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The full statement of the CPRF translated from Russian is available in our library.