Kazakhstan Tells Troops to Use Lethal Force Against Protestors

It wasn't surprising when the people of the collapsing oil town in Western Kazakhstan protested last Sunday. But last weekend, peaceful protests against rising fuel prices in the filthy Soviet-era settlement near the Caspian Sea, Zhanaozen, suddenly spread over a thousand miles across the  length of the largest country in Central Asia. The large and prosperous city of Kazakhstan turned into a war zone, where burned buildings and burned cars are scattered. 

This week, violence  in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan and still the economic and cultural center, shocked almost everyone. Government critics  have long curbed crackdowns and rampant corruption in oil-rich countries. The crisis coincided with a power struggle within the government, fueling rumors that those fighting on the street were representatives of conflicting factions of the political elite. On Saturday, the powerful Kazakh Secret Service announced that it had arrested Karim Massimov, who was responsible for the violence a few days ago, on suspicion of treason. 

There is also enthusiastic speculation about the Kremlin's interference and many other ambiguous possible causes. What is certain is that the tremors of the country are not just a direct clash between the demonstrators expressing their dissatisfaction and the clumsy safety devices of the authoritarian regime. Kazakhstan is now largely isolated from the outside world. Major airports have been closed or confiscated by Russian troops, but internet services and telephone lines are largely non-functional. There is little information that can be received at this time.