Statement on the situation in the country by the Head of the 1st Service of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Serik Shalabaev, at a press briefing at the Central Communications Service

(Nur-Sultan, 15 January 2022)

Good afternoon.

Dear citizens!

Before briefing you on the ongoing work to investigate the events of the “Tragic January,” allow me to outline the chronology of those events.

January 1, 2022

Residents began to gather near the city hall at 17:20 in the city of Zhanaozen, Mangystau region.

People dispersed at 18:00 on the same day after recording a video message to the country's leadership demanding the government to lower prices for liquefied gas. Law enforcement agencies did not use force and means of restraint.

January 2

In the Mangystau region (all districts), an unauthorized gathering of residents of the region (including car drivers) began at 11:00 near the mayors’ offices, car parks, and a mosque, demanding reduction in prices for LPG.

Around 700 people participated in these protesters during the day.

In the city of Zhanaozen, protesters blocked traffic on roads. Law enforcement agencies did not use force and restraint measures.

January 3

Peaceful rallies began in solidarity with the residents of the Mangystau region in other seven regions of the country (the cities of Almaty and Nur-Sultan, the regions of Atyrau, Aktobe, Almaty Oblast, East Kazakhstan, and West Kazakhstan).

January 4

The rallies continued. Unauthorized mass gatherings spread to eleven regions.

The number of participants increased sharply to almost 37,000 people (36,831) (Almaty, Nur-Sultan, Mangystau, Aktobe, Kyzylorda regions).

Armed attacks, looting, and arson began in the cities of Almaty and Shymkent, including against communal vehicles.

In Almaty, about 5,000 people gathered near the Almaty Arena stadium and marched to the city hall, where they clashed with the police.

In total, 6 police cars were set on fire, 5 National Guard soldiers and 15 police officers were injured.

In Shymkent, 21 police cars were damaged (including one that was set on fire).

From that day, law enforcement agencies began to use special non-lethal means of restraint to repel attacks on them and the buildings.

January 5

Lootings and seizures of buildings continued in 11 regions of the country.

The number of participants in the mass unrest reached around 50,000 people.

The terrorists seized the Almaty City Hall and the Almaty International Airport.

Bandits also seized 7 weapon stores, and attempted to seize a fire station, the police departments of the city of Almaty, and its offices in the Auezov and Zhetysu districts.

Arson was committed against 2 Kamaz vehicles of the Border Guard Service of the National Security Committee, 2 service vehicles of the Police Department, buildings of the City Hall and of the Nur Otan party, 4 shopping centers and bank branches.

The total number of people that took part in the lootings and armed attacks in Almaty reached over 20,000.

In Kyzylorda, nine cars were set on fire by attackers, a military serviceman was run over and killed, and a group of unidentified persons forcibly took a submachine gun and two pistols from military personnel.

In Taldykorgan, the attackers seized the buildings of the Governor’s Office, and regional departments of the Police and the National Security Service. Armed groups were moving around the city.

The Governors’ Offices were also forcefully seized in the Aktobe, Atyrau, Kyzylorda, Mangystau, and Zhambyl regions.

*****

Due to the threat to the security of citizens, presidential decrees introduced a state of emergency and a curfew in every region of the country.

Internet access was restricted to hinder coordination of actions between terrorists and use of their communication tools.

January 6

The Security Council declared the start of an anti-terrorist operation.

Its main purpose was to eliminate threats to national security and protect life and property of citizens.

It was not until this day that law enforcement and the Armed Forces were authorized to use lethal force to eliminate armed terrorists.

In Almaty, attempts by terrorists to seize the Koktobe TV transmitter tower and the Border Guard Academy were foiled.

By the decision of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military contingent of the CSTO Collective Forces (including from Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan) were sent to Kazakhstan to conduct a peacekeeping operation.

Their task was solely to protect strategic facilities. They did not take part in the anti-terrorist operation.

Against this background, the number of participants in the unrest and mass gatherings in the regions decreased considerably.

*****

The same day, the buildings of Governors’ Offices and City Halls, departments of Police, the National Security Service, etc., which had been seized by the militants, were taken under the control of the national anti-terrorist operation forces in almost all regions (except for Almaty).

*****

January 7

Peaceful protests continued in several regions – Mangystau, Atyrau, Aktobe, Karaganda, and East Kazakhstan.

At the same time, firing toward checkpoints, attempts by militants to take over hospitals, and looting of stores were recorded in Almaty.

In Taraz and Taldykorgan, the buildings of detention facilities were attacked.

January 8

The situation in the country gradually stabilized.

In Almaty, anti-terrorist operation forces began taking full control of the streets and strategic facilities.

Unsanctioned gatherings of citizens across the nation ended.

*****

On the instructions of the President of Kazakhstan, the Office of the Prosecutor General is working to establish all the causes and details of the “Almaty tragedy” and the terrorist attacks in other regions.

We can say at this stage that everything that happened was part of a single chain of events and the actions of terrorists were coordinated from a single center.

The law enforcement agencies are taking all the necessary measures to identify and punish the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks and to fully restore public safety in the country.

Particular attention is being paid to investigating incidents where people were hurt.

To date 4,578 affected individuals have been identified, of whom 4,353 were wounded, including 3,393 servicemen of the law enforcement agencies (78%).

During the emergency period (from January 5 to 14), 225 deaths were confirmed.

They include armed bandits who participated in the terrorist attacks on public facilities and against law enforcement officers.

19 police officers and military personnel were killed.

Unfortunately, civilians also fell victim to acts of terrorism.

We once again express our condolences to the families and friends of those who died protecting the safety and lives of our citizens, as well as to the victims of armed extremists.

The provided data is preliminary and is subject to change.

In any case, we assure that every fact is thoroughly investigated. A legal assessment of the results will be made.

As of today, investigation teams are investigating 546 criminal cases, including 44 cases of terrorism34 cases of riots, and 15 murders.

672 persons suspected of committing crimes have been placed in temporary detention facilities, of which 446 were taken into custody upon court authorization.

After verification of documents and in the absence of grounds for detention, the prosecutor’s offices authorized the release of approximately 100 people.

The necessary investigative measures are currently being taken.

To ensure the rights of citizens involved in criminal proceedings, cooperation has been established with the Ombudsperson for Human Rights, members of the National Preventive Mechanism and the National Council of Public Trust.

They are provided with access to places of detention to independently verify possible cases of ill-treatment and failure to provide medical assistance and defense counsel.

The issue of timely qualified legal assistance was resolved jointly with the National Bar Association through the access of defense lawyers to facilities in accordance with the regulations of the state of emergency.

To date, the Procurator’s Office has received 32 complaints about the actions of law enforcement agencies. These claims are being investigated.

If citizens believe that their rights are violated, we ask them to contact the call center of the General Prosecutor’s Office at 115 or directly contact the regional prosecutors’ offices. We will investigate every case and take measures where appropriate.

I urge citizens to understand and accept temporary restrictions, observe public order, not to give in to misinformation, and trust only official sources.

Thank you for your attention!