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Kazakhstan cancels state of emergency in two more regions from January 15

On January 2, protests erupted in Kazakhstan
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Kazakhstan's Presidential Press Service via AP
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
© Kazakhstan's Presidential Press Service via AP

NUR-SULTAN, January 12. /TASS/. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Friday signed an executive order to cancel the state of emergency in the Akmolinsk and Kostanay regions from January 15, the presidential press service said.

The state of emergency, which was introduced on January 5, will be lifted at 7 am local time, according to the order.

Tokayev earlier on Friday also ordered the cancelation of the state of emergency in the city of Shymkent and the East Kazakhstan, Karaganda and Turkestan regions from 6 pm (3 pm Moscow time) this Friday.

On January 13, Kazakhstan canceled the state of emergency in three other regions. This means the state of emergency, which was imposed on January 5, continues to be in effect in eight of the country’s 17 regions.

Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with ransacked buildings and attacks on police, military servicemen and government offices in many cities, mostly in Almaty. Thousands of people were injured, while the exact number of fatalities hasn’t been reported. The Kazakh president requested assistance from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and the bloc deployed peacekeepers to Kazakhstan. Law and order were generally restored to all of the country’s regions, Kazakh authorities said.