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The Astana Times (2 August 2022)

Assel Satubaldina 

Seven months since the January riots shocked the country, the investigation is still ongoing. The press briefing on Monday convened representatives of the Prosecutor General’s office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to disclose some details of the month-long investigation.

What happened in January?

Peaceful protests broke out on Jan. 2 in the town of Zhanaozen in the Mangystau Region incited by anger over surging prices for liquid petroleum gas, widely used in the region, to 120 tenge ($0.27) per liter. People demanded the restoration of the price cap to 50 tenge ($0.12) – a demand which the government fulfilled a few days later.

The protests quickly spread to other cities including Almaty, Nur-Sultan, Shymkent, Aktobe, and Atyrau. Kazakhstan’s largest city and former capital Almaty was hit hardest after the peaceful protests were hijacked by what the government called terrorist groups and criminals. Its city hall was set ablaze, and hundreds of public and private buildings were damaged.

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