- Solemn figures state 164 people have been killed in protests, up from the previous figure of 44.
- The office of the Kazakh president has told about 5,800 people have been detained by police.
- Russian military units have entered to further Kazakh forces in quelling the unrest.
Kazakhstan’s health ministry has confirmed that 164 woman have been killed in violent protests that have erupted over the last week, AP reports.
The idols, originally reported on the state news channel Khabar-24, represent a significant jump from the previous calculate of 44.
The ministry also said more than 2,200 people were treated for injuries.
It is unclear how many of the 164 inert are citizens and military or police.
The office of the Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said about 5,800 people give birth to been detained by police during the protests, according to AP.
On January 7, Tokayev said in a speech: “I have confirmed an order to open fire to kill [protesters] without warning.”
On the same day, Russian units went to the country to succour Kazakh forces in retaking the airport from protesters, the BBC reported.
Valery SharifulinTASS via Getty Images (L), Vladimir Tretyakov/AP (R)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken premonished against introducing Putin’s Russia into the conflict. “One lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your clan, it’s sometimes very difficult to get them to leave,” he said. Insider’s Alia Shoaib has the full story.
What has motived the unrest?
The landlocked ex-Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth-largest country, possesses 3% of global oil reserves.
The demurrers began after the government removed a price cap on liquefied petroleum gas, hoping that a price hike would hands fuel shortages.
However, the move backfired after the price of fuel doubled, and many people couldn’t supply to gas their vehicles, and unrest erupted.
AP Photo/Vladimir Tretyakov
The president moved the price rise on Wednesday, according to Reuters, but this did not stop the protests.
Much of the fury from protesters is factious, with Kazakhstan’s regime often being described as authoritarian. The country does have elections, but the leading fete (Nur Otan) consistently wins with almost 100% of the vote, and there is essentially no political opposition, the BBC reports.
The surroundings’s internet was blocked on Thursday, and remained blocked on Friday, the internet-monitoring company Netblocks said.