ASTANA, April 11. /TASS/. The head of the city administration of Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan’s southwestern Mangystau Region has called on people rallying in the city’s central square to stay calm and not yield to provocations.

"Today, you saw information on social networks that our fellow townsmen organized a protest in Astana and were taken to a police station. According to the police, our people are all right. They will face administrative charges in line with the current laws," Aibek Kosuakov said in an address to the people.

According to Kosuakov, the city’s authorities are taking measures to create new jobs in the city for the unemployed. "Preliminary negotiations have been held with the protesters in Astana. Those who worked for the company, which lost the tender, were invited to work for the winning company on the same terms they had with their former company. But this offer was turned down. In the holy month of Ramadan, I am calling on everyone to stay calm. Being unfamiliar with the details, I am asking you not to yield to emotions and provokers’ calls and refrain from illegal actions," he said.

According to the Orda news portal, up to 2,000 people have gathered in Zhanaozen’s central square demanding the release of their fellow townsmen who were detained in Astana for staging an unauthorized rally.

The press service of the Kazmunaigaz company said earlier that several dozen protesters in Astana were former employees of BerAli Mangystau Company, which lost a tender for oilfield servicing for Ozenmunaigaz, a Kazmunaigaz subsidiary. On April 1, they were offered jobs in another company, with an average salary of 700,000 tenge (around 1,500 US dollars). However, they rejected the offer and insisted that the outcome of the tender be cancelled .

On January 2, 2022, people took to the streets in Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangystau Region, 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.