The state of emergency and curfew in Almaty, Kazakhstan, will end on January 19 as scheduled, but a high-level terrorism threat will remain in place for an indefinite period, the city commandant's office said on Tuesday.
In early January, people in Kazakhstan took to the streets to protest a twofold increase in fuel prices. Peaceful demonstrations swiftly turned into violent clashes with law enforcement. On January 5, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev declared a state of emergency and curfew in Almaty and Mangystau Region. Later that day, the same measures were taken in other regions. However, as the situation calmed down, the state of emergency was brought to an end in many regions before the scheduled date of January 19. So far, it has been lifted in 10 out of 17 regions.
"Almaty commandant's office announces that the state of emergency and curfew in Almaty will end on January 19, 2022 at 00:00. Meanwhile, we remind everyone that the city remains on 'red' level of terrorism threat," the statement read.
Police officers, who are allowed to conduct personal and vehicle inspections, will continue patrolling the city 24 hours a day, and security checkpoints will remain in place, the statement said. Demonstrations and protests are strictly forbidden, the statement concluded.
Almaty suffered extensive damage during the protests, which, as of Sunday, left 149 civilians and 11 police dead in the city, according to the head of the city police department. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor