In the course of mass riots in Kazakhstan, law enforcement officers detained more than three thousand people. This is reported by “Khabar 24” with reference to the operational headquarters to combat terrorism, reports TASS.
TV channel clarified that 3706 protest participants were detained and this is current information at the moment.
Earlier, the President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev suggested that a single command post was engaged in the preparation and management of militants who participated in riots. According to politics, trained specialists, “trained on ideological sabotage and skillfully using disinformation,” manipulated people’s moods.
Protests in Kazakhstan began on Sunday, January 2, due to the increase in gas prices for cars from 60 to 120 tenge (from 10 to 20 rubles) per liter. Soon, economic requirements were replaced by political: government resignation, holding new elections, consideration of the issue of lustration of people from the “clan” of the former President of Nursultan Nazarbayev.
To Wednesday, on January 5, rallies have grown into bulk riots. In Alma-Ata, shops, banks were plundered, captured by the airport building, police plots, government agencies and infrastructure facilities. Army was sent to suppressing speeches. President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev appealed to the CSTO with a request to send troops to protect the country from armed gangs.