The White House (Washington) Press Secretary Jen Psaki called on the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces and law enforcement to uphold international human rights obligations in order to support a peaceful resolution. TASS cites her statement.
She noted that the United States is closely monitoring reports that the Collective Security Treaty Organization have dispatched its collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan. «We have questions about the nature of this request and whether it has — it was a legitimate invitation or not. We don’t know at this point,» Jen Psaki stressed.
Mass protests in Kazakhstan began in the first days of January 2022. Residents of Zhanaozen and Aktau in Mangistau region opposed the sharp rise in prices for liquefied gas. Protests began in other cities of the republic. On January 4-5, clashes with security forces occurred in Almaty, the police used tear gas and stun grenades. The authorities turned off the Internet, and some TV channels temporarily stopped broadcasting.
The government resigned. The Chairman of the Security Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan was replaced, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev became a new chairman instead of Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The president declared a state of emergency in the country on January 5. On the night of January 6, the head of Kazakhstan held a meeting of the Security Council, at which he called the situation in the republic «undermining the integrity of the state». He said that he asked the CSTO for help «in overcoming the terrorist threat.» The CSTO Collective Security Council decided to send peacekeeping troops to Kazakhstan. Members of the organization have already begun deployment of their units to Kazakhstan.
