Demonstrations began in the city of Zhanaozen and spread to other urban areas, including the country’s largest city, Almaty.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a nationwide state of emergency and summoned troops from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, an alliance comprising Russia and allied states.
Tokayev ordered security forces to “fire without warning,” the BBC reported on Jan. 7.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the day before for “a peaceful, rights-respecting resolution to the crisis.”
The Catholics in Kazakhstan are thanks to God safe. In our churches we continue to celebrate the Holy Mass, doing Eucharistic Adoration and praying particularly for peace in our country and for harmony in the social live, which the Kazakh people desire.
— Bishop Athanasius Schneider (@BishopAthanas1) January 8, 2022
Kazakhstan, the world’s largest landlocked country, is a Muslim majority nation neighboring Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. There is a sizable Russian Orthodox minority.
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