On Wednesday, Kazakhstan‘s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the resignation of the government after violent protests erupted due to a natural gas price increase in the country, Reuters reports.
Police had deployed tear gas and stun grenades to quell unrest late Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning Tokayev declared a state of emergency in the southeastern city of Almaty and the western region of Mangystau, imposing a curfew and movement restrictions, according to AFP and Reuters.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the order “to ensure public safety, restore law and order, protect the rights and freedoms of citizens”, according to the Zakon.kz news site.
Protests began on Sunday after price caps were lifted on liquefied petroleum gas on Saturday, causing prices to more than double, Radio Free Europe reports.
In Kazakhstan’ largest city, Almaty, hundreds of protesters, some of whom were armed with rubber truncheons, stormed the mayor’s office on January 5 amid volleys of tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets from police, with reports of a fire breaking out in the building, the agency reported.
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 200 people were detained during protests “in a number of regions of the country,” but observers say that number appears to be underestimated. The ministry also said that at least 95 officers have been injured in the clashes.
(With inputs from agencies)
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