Kazakhstan's Almaty is witnessing clashes involving protesters and police officers with some of the latter captured and beaten, a Sputnik correspondent is reporting from the scene on Wednesday
ALMATY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th January, 2022) Kazakhstan's Almaty is witnessing clashes involving protesters and police officers with some of the latter captured and beaten, a Sputnik correspondent is reporting from the scene on Wednesday.
Police have detained several hundreds protesters on the approaches to Almaty. The protesters are wielding clubs. Security forces are using stun grenades among other means against the protesters.
The protests began in the first days of 2022, when people living in Kazakhstan's cities of Aktau and Zhanaozen of the southwestern Mangystau region took to the streets to demand to curb a twofold surge in gas prices in the country. The rallies then expanded to the Atyrau and West Kazakhstan regions.
President Qasym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency in Almaty and the Mangystau Region earlier in the day, which entails a curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (17:00-01:00 GMT), a ban on sales of weapons, alcohol, and ammunition, and a prohibition of mass events and strikes.
On Wednesday morning, Tokayev dismissed the government and said that the cabinet specifically is to be blamed for the protest situation.
