Americans who work at the Consulate General in Almaty and want to leave with their families have received permission from the US government. These are personnel who deal with non-urgent matters.
Citizens should take into account that they may not be able to help or receive less help, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “U.S. citizens in Kazakhstan should be aware that the violent protests seriously hamper the embassy’s ability to provide consular services, including assistance to citizens departing from Kazakhstan.”
In the largest city in the country, a week is now protested and rioted. On Friday, President Tokayev said that order is recovered. News from and about Kazakhstan, where the internet has been down almost everywhere for days, is very difficult to verify.
Russian soldiers secure Almaty airport and help Kazakh government maintain order. Meanwhile, the Belarusian state news agency reports that President Lukashenko called former Kazakh President Nazarbayev and that the two “discussed the state of affairs in Kazakhstan in detail”.
Old man
Nazarbayev (81) handed over the presidential baton in 2019 after almost thirty years, but still had a lot of influence as head of the Security Council. President Tokaev succeeded him in that position on Wednesday. Protesters have previously chanted slogans such as “get out old man!”
Since the start of the protests, the former president has not been seen in public and nothing has been heard from him. However, there are rumors that he has left the country or is trying to do so.
These images show a statue of Nazarbayev being knocked down:
–
