Beyza Binnur Dönmez
08 January 2022•Update: 09 January 2022
ANKARA
Kazakhstan has declared Jan. 10 a day of national mourning for those who lost their lives due to massive countrywide protests, an official said Saturday.
“In connection with the numerous human casualties as a result of tragic events in a number of regions of the country, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev decided to declare January 10, 2022, a day of national mourning," Press Secretary Berik Uali wrote on Facebook.
The relevant decree will be published on the presidency's Akorda website.
The protests against an increase in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices have grown into massive riots across Kazakhstan over the past week.
So far, 4,266 people were detained, including citizens of neighboring countries, the country’s interior minister said in a statement.
According to the Kazakh Interior Ministry, at least 18 security officers and 26 protesters have lost their lives during the ongoing unrest.
In response, Tokayev declared a state of emergency in the commercial capital Almaty and the oil-rich Mangystau region from where the protests spread to the rest of the country.
Also, the country's Foreign Ministry said that 2,500 troops from the Collective Security Treaty Organization have been deployed to Kazakhstan. These troops belong to Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia.
