BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 7
Trend:
The tragic events in Kazakhstan expose the problems with democracy and human rights in a new way, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said while appealing to people on Jan. 7, Trend reports.
President Tokayev said that democracy is not permissiveness.
“Moreover, democracy is not incitement in any sphere, including the blogosphere, to the unlawful actions,” the President added.
“In my speech on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence, I said that the law and order are the main guarantees of the well-being of not only Kazakhstan but also all civilized countries,” the Kazakh President said.
President Tokayev added that this does not mean the violation of freedom of people and human rights.
“On the contrary, proceeding from the tragedy in Almaty and other cities of Kazakhstan, the non-observance of laws, permissiveness, and anarchy result in the violation of human rights,” the President said.
Kazakhstan's government announced late Jan. 4 that it was restoring some price caps on liquefied petroleum gas, after the rare protests reached Almaty following a sharp rise in the price of the fuel at the start of the year.
Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on LPG, which is far cheaper than gasoline as a vehicle fuel in Kazakhstan because of price caps. But the government argued that the low price was unsustainable and lifted the caps on Jan. 1.
After the price of the fuel spiked, big demonstrations erupted on Jan. 2 in certain parts of the country. Public protests are illegal in the country unless their organizers file a notice in advance.
Following the development of the situation, the government declared a state of emergency all over the country. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the government initiated the anti-terorrist operations to deal with the ongoing riots.
Also, the divisions of the united peacekeeping contingent of CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) arrived in Kazakhstan to assist in restoring order and help protect strategic objects of the country.