Kazakhstan extends state of emergency in oil town

[News_Editor]

Kazakhstan extends state of emergency in oil town

2012-01-05 20:09:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

ASTANA (BNO NEWS) -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Wednesday extended a state of emergency in Zhanaozen town of the Mangystau region where violent clashes broke out in December, the state-owned Kazinform news agency reported.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Emergencies, President Nazarbayev signed a presidential decree to extend the state of emergency in Zhanaozen town until January 31. The state of emergency, which was imposed on December 17, had been due to expire on Thursday.

The clashes erupted on December 16 as the Central Asian nation marked the 20th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union. Police moved in to clear the main square in Zhanaozen for independence celebrations but were charged by striking oil workers, who have been demanding higher wages for months.

As a result of the incident, at least sixteen people were killed and more than 80 others were injured. However, the workers' trade union put the number of dead at 50 to 70 and said as many as 500 people were injured, according to European lawmakers.

Video posted previously to the video-sharing website YouTube showed protesters fleeing a large square amid gunfire as police advanced with riot shields. An injured person can also be seen being beaten with a baton by someone who appears to be a police officer.

The oil workers at the Ozenmunaigas oil field had been protesting for months to demand higher salaries, and strike organizers claimed the workers were owed danger money for the tough conditions they work in. Hundreds of workers were fired for demonstrating in the oil-rich but remote western Mangistau region.

The unrest was unusual for Kazakhstan as President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has been in power since April 1990, has kept a tight rein on public protests. Nazarbayev was last re-elected in April with 95 percent of the votes, but election observers claim the elections were rigged with ballot box-stuffing, voter intimidation and a lack of transparency.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-05