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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
Kazakhstan Detains Nearly 1,700 More after Violent Unrest |
2022-01-13 |
[An Nahar] Kazakh authorities said Wednesday they detained 1,678 more people in the past 24 hours over their alleged participation in the Protests over soaring fuel prices erupted in the oil- and gas-rich Central Asian nation of 19 million on Jan. 2 and quickly spread across the country, with political slogans reflecting wider discontent over the country's authoritarian government. As the unrest mounted, the authorities attempted to mollify the protesters and announced a 180-day cap on fuel prices. The ministerial Cabinet resigned, and Nursultan Nazarbayev ...served as the President of Kazakhstan since the Fall of the Soviet Union and the nation's independence in 1991. Contrary to commonly held belief, there is a difference between Kazakhs and Cossacks: Kazakhs have mustaches. Cossacks wear those great big hats. Or maybe it's the other way around... , the country's former longtime leader, was ousted from his influential post of head of the National Security Council. Still, over the next few days, the demonstrations turned In Almaty, Kazakhstan's former capital and largest city, protesters set government buildings on fire and briefly seized the airport. The unrest was largely quelled by last weekend. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has blamed the unrest on foreign-backed "terrorists" and requested help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO, a Russia-led military alliance comprising of six ex-Soviet states. The bloc authorized sending 2,500 troops to Kazakhstan. Tokayev said Tuesday that the CSTO will start withdrawing its troops this week, as they have completed their mission and the situation in the country has stabilized. |
Posted by:Fred |