Reports of shootings in demonstrations in Kazakhstan

Pictures from Almaty Thursday morning show an advance of soldiers in the capital Almaty, and according to eyewitness reports cited by the BBC, gunfire was heard in the capital, when unrest entered the oil state on the third day.

According to the Russian news agency Interfax, the police in Almaty, Almaty state, “dozens of militants have been eliminated,” Reuters wrote at 06.45 am.

Hundreds of people gathered for the new protests in the city’s main square.

Until Wednesday There were reports of shooting and violent confrontations between protesters and security forces.

Early on Thursday, the country’s president, Kassym Zumart Tokayev, also confirmed in a televised speech that he had requested the deployment of forces from the Russia-led Organization for Security and Cooperation. The organization includes six former Soviet states.

At that time, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who currently chairs the Collective Security Treaty Organization on Wednesday on Facebook, called for the deployment of “peacekeepers” “for a limited period of time in order to stabilize and normalize the situation in the country” caused by the “involvement of outsiders.”

On Wednesday, a state of emergency was declared across Kazakhstan as a result of the massive demonstrations in the country. Curfew applies between 23 and 07.

Tokayev in a previous statement He announced on the President’s office website that he had accepted a request for resignation from the government through Prime Minister Askar Mamin. Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov will assume the duties of acting prime minister until the formation of a new government.

The news came after several days of widespread protests, in part due to the rise in gas prices in the country. But the protests continued despite the government’s lowering of gas prices to the level demanded by the protesters.

On Wednesday, police fired dispersal grenades and tear gas at several thousand protesters who marched against the city hall in Almaty, according to AFP journalists at the site.

According to local media, parts of the building were burnt. The pictures show how smoke rises from the building.

In total, more than 200 people have been arrested And 95 policemen were injured in the past 24 hours, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of the Interior.

During the day, Russia called for dialogue to stop the unrest in the former Soviet republic. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was closely following “developments in the neighboring sister country.”

On Wednesday, the United States urged the Kazakh authorities to exercise “restraint” in how they handle the situation. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also commented on “crazy Russian claims” that the United States was behind the demonstrations, which she called “utterly false and a clear example of Russian attempts to spread disinformation.”

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State of emergency in Kazakhstan – protesters storm town hall