ASTANA: Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Thursday elaborated some unresolved aspects of the January 2022 unrest, known as “Bloody January” in Kazakhstan.
In an extensive interview with the state-run newspaper Egemen Qazaqstan, Tokayev attributed the public discontent during Bloody January to longstanding socio-economic issues. However, he also suggested that influential people, dissatisfied with changes in the country’s political landscape since his appointment as acting president by Nazarbayev in 2019, played a role in instigating the unrest.
Tokayev, elected president later in the same year, claimed that these unnamed individuals perceived the changes as a threat to established power structures developed over three decades of Nazarbayev’s rule. According to Tokayev, this group of high-ranking officials, with influence over the country’s power structures and ties to criminal elements, sought to seize power by force.
This marks the first time Tokayev has acknowledged a power struggle behind the political unrest, deviating from previous attributions solely to “terrorists.” In the interview, he specifically focused on elites close to Nazarbayev, rather than Nazarbayev himself.
Tokayev’s current claims align with information shared in 2022, indicating specific individuals within Nazarbayev’s family and allies who were interested in removing Tokayev. He emphasized that Nazarbayev was not attempting to usurp Tokayev after appointing him three years earlier.
Referring to investigations by the Prosecutor-General’s Office, Tokayev claimed that a conspiratorial group initiated preparations about six months before the January 2022 protests. He alleged collaboration among “extremists, criminal groups, and religious extremists” to orchestrate a coup, consistent with previous suggestions of criminal group involvement shared in 2022. Only 10 members of the banned extremist group Yakyn Inkar have been arrested in connection with the events.
Tokayev also disclosed in the interview that he informed Nazarbayev about the political “hubris” of his close associates nearly causing the country’s destruction, without specifying the individuals. This conversation with Nazarbayev had not been disclosed previously.
During the Bloody January unrest, Tokayev issued a shoot-to-kill order, resulting in at least 230 deaths. He has faced criticism for not fulfilling his pledge to publicly address questions about the chapter.
Tokayev also asserted that Kazakhstan, often criticized for imprisoning journalists and activists, does not have any political prisoners. He claimed that the legislation lacks a basis for prosecuting citizens based on their political views.
