MOSCOW, Russia — Kazakhstan on Wednesday declared a nationwide state of emergency after protests over a fuel price hike erupted into clashes and saw demonstrators storm government buildings.

Protesters take part in a rally over a hike in energy prices in Almaty on January 5, 2022. Kazakhstan on January 5, 2022 declared a nationwide state of emergency after protests over a fuel price hike erupted into clashes and saw demonstrators storm government buildings. Abduaziz MADYAROV / AFP


The Central Asian country has been roiled by protests since the start of the year which escalated Wednesday into clashes with police.

Authorities cut internet and mobile phone access nationwide in response and earlier declared states of emergency in the epicentres of the rallies — financial capital Almaty and the Mangystau province — as well as in the capital Nur-Sultan, where no demonstrations have so far been reported.

The state of emergency was later extended across the entire ex-Soviet country, a broadcaster on the state television channel Khabar 24 said Wednesday evening, adding that it would remain in effect until January 19.

It will “restrict freedom of movement, including transport”, the broadcaster said in Russian, and forbid “mass events and family rituals associated with birth, weddings or death”.

The restrictions were introduced to address the increasing difficulty in “ensuring public safety, restoring law and order, and protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens,” he said.

The state of emergency will also introduce a night-time curfew from 11 pm to 7 am, he added.