ASTANA, April 11. /TASS/. Hundreds of people are gathering in the central square in the city of Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan’s southwestern Mangystau Region to demand the release of their fellow townsmen who were detained in Astana, the Orda news portal reported on Tuesday.

"Judging by the videos, the people are not going to go home. On the contrary, more and more people are coming to the central square. Local activists say that there are between 1,000 and 2,000 people there. Police data is not available so far," it writes.

Earlier in the day, several employees of an oilfield service company from Zhanaozen were detained in Astana for staging an unauthorized rally after spending nearly 24 hours in front of the building of the country’s energy ministry. They are facing administrative charges.

On January 2, 2022, people took to the streets in Zhanaozen, protesting against a two-fold rise in fuel prices. Mass riots and violence accompanied by attacks on the police, the military and authorities engulfed the country several days later. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said it was a state coup attempt and sought assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led security bloc. By January 7, the situation was stabilized and the state of emergency was lifted in the country on January 19. According to official statistics, 238 people were killed and more than 4,500 more were injured during the riots.