Kazakhstan News, Protests in Kazakhstan, Mayor’s office ambushed by protesters in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city

Thousands of people took to the streets in Almaty’s largest city, saying the price hike was unfair

Almaty:

Protesters gathered at the mayor’s office in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city in the former Soviet Union, on Wednesday as unprecedented protests over rising energy prices spiraled out of control. control.

Police fired stun grenades and tear gas into a crowd of several thousand protesters, some armed with batons and shields seized by police, but were unable to stop protesters from entering the building, one reporter said. AFP staff said.

On Wednesday morning, police said more than 200 people were arrested in protests that swept across the Central Asian nation following a hike in the price of liquid petroleum (LPG) during the New Year holiday.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Almaty’s largest city and in the western province of Mangystau, calling the price hikes unfair due to the huge energy reserves of the Kazakh oil and gas exporter.

On Wednesday afternoon, AFP reporters in Almaty watched men in police uniforms drop shields and helmets into piles and embrace and kiss protesters. The men in police uniforms declined to be interviewed.

One woman shouted as she hugged a protester: “They came to us.

The protests represent the biggest threat by far to the regime founded by Kazakhstan’s founding president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stepped down in 2019 and installed loyalist Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as president.

Nazarbayev, 81 and having ruled Kazakhstan since 1989, retains control of the country as chairman of the security council and “Leader of the Nation” – a constitutional role that gives him planning privileges. policy as well as immunity from prosecution.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)