NUR-SULTAN, January 4. /TASS/. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a two-week state of emergency in the country’s largest city of Almaty and the southwestern Mangistau Province on Tuesday, the presidential administration’s press service said.

"Due to the escalation of the situation, in order to ensure public safety, restore law and order and protect rights and freedoms of citizens, the head of the state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has signed a decree to declare the state of emergency in the Mangistau Province and in the city of Almaty starting from 01:30 local time on January 5 and until 00:00 on January 19, 2022," the press service said in a statement.

Street clashes

Violent protests continue in various streets of Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, and detentions are under way, eyewitnesses reported to TASS late on Tuesday.

"Protestors have been pushed away from the [Republic] Square, people are now marching in groups across various streets in the city. There have been detentions, and people are being taken to the local police department. Loud bangs and flashes of lights, consistent with the use of stun grenades, are seen and heard in the city center," eyewitnesses told TASS.

"Clashes with police occurred in some places, at least one police vehicle was set on fire," they said. "Protestors remain on city streets, but it seems that the protests have passed the peak."

Kazakh media reported on Tuesday that police managed to push protestors away from Almaty’s central square, the Republic Square. Law enforcement forces had to use stun grenades against the crowd.

On January 2, people took to the streets in the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangistau region, protesting against high fuel prices. According to them, the price per liter of liquefied gas increased to 120 tenge ($0.27) since January 1, so the demonstrators demanded to halve it, to 50-60 tenge ($0.11 - $0.13). The president commissioned the government to assess urgently the situation in the region, taking into account economic feasibility and legal issues. The government commission held talks with a group of activists in the Mangistau region on January 4, discussing the price of liquefied gas and possible solutions to the crisis.