On January 5, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev informed during a meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Task Force that he had appealed to the leaders of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to assist Kazakhstan in maintaining law and order and public safety in the country, Vlast quoted the Khabar 24 TV channel.
Kazakhstan shut the internet off yesterday. The President of Kazakhstan appealed to his compatriots in a televised address.
The situation in the country has changed dramatically within a few hours. Protests erupted in Zhanaozen and Aktau in early 2022; citizens expressed dissatisfaction over an increase in gas prices. The President stated that Almaty and half of the country are engulfed by riots, accompanied by massive attacks on military and police officers; some of them were killed and injured. There have been incidents of violence against women and looting reported.
The President, who is chairing the Security Council of Kazakhstan these days, emphasised that a good level of organisation of a hooligan element is obvious, testifying to a well-prepared action plan by a group of conspirators and their financial motivation.
Speaking at the meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Task Force, the President said he had appealed to the leaders of the CSTO members to assist Kazakhstan in addressing the evolving terrorist challenges in accordance with Collective Security Treaty. Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev emphasised that as the Chairman of the Security Council he intended to act as tough as possible.
