On March 26 the chairman of Kazakhstan’s state oil & gas company JSC KazMunayGas (KMG) Magzum Mirzaliyev met with Luca Vignati a senior executive at the Italian oil & gas company Eni to discuss the construction of a hybrid power plant in Zhanaozen The parties discussed the current status of construction of a hybrid power plant in Zhanaozen solar energy (50 MW) and gas (120 MW) are planned to all be used in the energy mix “We express our gratitude to Eni for fruitful cooperation and exchange of experience in the framework of this strategic energy project We hope for further development of our cooperation in this area,” said Mirzaliyev in a press release On January 18 the parties signed an agreement in Rome for the construction of a hybrid power plant in the city of Zhanaozen the heads of KMG and Eni discussed drilling the first exploration well at the Abay site in the Caspian Sea — as well as developing further stages of production at the Kashagan and Karachaganak fields taking into account the priority to increase the production of marketable gas Ten years ago, on Kazakhstan’s December 16 Independence Day, law enforcement officers opened fire on a group of striking oil workers and others who had gathered in the central square of Zhanaozen a small oil town in Western Kazakhstan.  Fourteen people were killed and many dozens were injured.  a 50-year old grandfather who had been trying to visit his new grandchild and daughter in the hospital He died at home days after police beat him in custody.  Kazakh authorities claimed they were responding to mass riots But what preceded the events that day was the unresolved seven-month oil workers’ strike in Zhanaozen And what has followed – despite government claims to the contrary – has been a sustained crackdown on independent organizing by workers many of them deemed “illegal” by authorities The number spiked this year during the economic downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic The government continued its efforts to thwart labor organizing even at a time when employees deserve extra support the trajectory of labor rights restriction in Kazakhstan can be traced to what happened in Zhanaozen in 2011 — and the aftermath.  It started with the government punishing the most outspoken Zhanaozen oil workers with lengthy prison sentences following an unfair trial in June 2012. The government introduced a new repressive trade union law in June 2014 which imposed burdensome registration requirements on existing trade unions and required them to affiliate with a higher-tier union in blatant contradiction to international labor rights norms The law led to the closure of independent trade unions in the country reinforcing a monopoly held by pro-government trade unions labor leaders who had participated in a protest against the forced closure.  After this year’s review, the Committee’s most critical review yet Kazakhstan is required to report back on measures taken to comply with the conventions and accept an ILO “direct contacts” mission to address problems directly with government and social partners it had to show it had member organizations in over half the country’s regions It has all but one of the required registered affiliates But the Justice Ministry in Atyrau Region has twice denied registration to the union’s affiliate there The trade union’s application for registration was denied in September on grounds that it had paid 18,960 tenge in registration fees when the required amount was 18,960.50 tenge Kazakhstan is marking 30 years of independence on December 16 the 10-year anniversary of the Zhanaozen events let’s also spare a thought for the oil workers Increasing Barriers to Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Care in Romania Poverty and Gender in Germany’s Social Security System Get updates on human rights issues from around the globe Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808 Kazakhstan has begun the new year with a wave of demonstrations over fuel prices that began where protests spiraled into deadly violence a decade ago Hundreds of demonstrators outraged by rising prices for liquified petroleum gas, or LPG, took to the streets on January 2 in Zhanaozen Protesters demanded prices be cut back from 120 tenge ($0.28 per liter) to the old price of 60 tenge which has caused a fluctuation in prices in line with supply and demand whereas the fuel was previously often sold at a loss to producers But Energy Minister Magzum Mirzagaliyev then contradicted that theory by claiming gas stations were suspected of price-fixing – LPG's cost to resellers is currently around 80 tenge and retail prices had rocketed beyond what would be expected As a concession, fuel stations in Mangystau Region have cut prices for LPG back to 85-90 tenge But none of this pacified the angry demonstrators in Zhanaozen whose grievances were taken up by others around Kazakhstan In Atyrau, another oil hub, police detained Maks Bokayev a prominent civil rights activist who served jail time over land protests in Kazakhstan in 2016 Not all the protesters were voicing clear goals. Some were demanding lower prices for fuel even in places where prices had not shot up Protesters were unmollified by the government producing data indicating that the average price of LPG in Kazakhstan is the lowest among comparable members of the Commonwealth of Independent States Arguments about low prices for LPG meaning there was little stimulus to produce it or invest in upgrading production facilities likewise failed to move demonstrators “The authorities say there is not enough gas, that a plant built 50 years ago is decrepit and outdated. So what have they been doing for the last 30 years? Sleeping?” a protester in Zhanaozen asked Radio Azattyq rhetorically indicating that broad socioeconomic disaffection in a country still struggling to recover from last year’s pandemic-induced recession was a motivation for protesters Some of those who took to the streets were simply voicing support for their fellow citizens in the troubled town of Zhanaozen whose name still evokes strong passions a decade after security forces opened fire on striking oil strikers in December 2011 “The people should elect the akims [mayors and governors] of regions and towns. We do not need puppets and shirkers sent from Akorda [the presidential palace],” Zholaman Seilov, a resident of Zhanaozen, told Radio Azattyq His words echoed complaints often heard from ordinary people in Kazakhstan who feel they are ruled by unaccountable leaders who neither understand nor care about their problems “Yesterday local leaders said they do not influence gas prices,” Seilov said “We do not need leaders who cannot resolve burning problems!” *Correction: This story originally stated that the protests began over the price of liquified natural gas (LNG) rather than liquified petroleum gas (LPG) Joanna Lillis is a journalist based in Almaty and author of Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all where workers have been protesting for higher wages Prosecutor General Askhat Daulbayev said that the mayor's office a hotel and vehicles were set on fire in Zhanaozen a city of 90,000 in the southwestern corner of the energy-rich nation The clashes appear to be some of the worst unrest to hit the former Soviet republic since it gained independence in 1991 Contradictory accounts have emerged as to what precipitated the confrontation Daulbayev said police officers were attacked as they sought to quell a disturbance in the city centre and were forced to fire their weapons on protesters who said she was a former oil worker dismissed in June for taking part in a long-standing strike said that police had surrounded a peaceful meeting of several hundred demonstrators in the morning "We had no idea what was going to happen we were just standing peacefully and doing nothing," she said Teletayeva said police opened fire on the crowd and that she had seen at least five people dead She said groups of angry young men later marched on the mayor's office and set it ablaze Footage broadcast by satellite channel K+ showed men in worker's outfits charging a stage erected for festivities to mark the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence on Friday Daulbayev said the headquarters of OzenMunaiGaz oil company where the demonstrators were formerly employed A team of Interior Ministry investigators had flown to the town to identify and punish the organisers of the unrest and restore order Hundreds of workers at an oil facility controlled by the state-owned energy company KazMunaiGas in Zhanaozen have been protesting for better salaries and working conditions for more than six months Almost 1,000 workers were fired in the summer for striking President Nursultan Nazarbayev has kept a tight lid on any signs of public discontent during his 20 years of rule The apparent scale of unrest in Zhanaozen will come as a shock to Nazarbayev's government which has also been facing an unprecedented surge in radical Islamist-inspired violence in recent months In a sign that Kazakhstan's authoritarian government was attempting to contain information on developments in Zhanaozen internet users reported being unable to open independent news websites or Twitter Virtually all domestic media failed to cover the events throughout Friday as lavish celebrations took place in the capital Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov during a working trip to the Mangystau region familiarised himself with the measures taken on socio-economic development of the single-industry town of Zhanaozen within the framework of the tasks set by the Head of State in the Address to the Nation "Fair Kazakhstan: law and order the pace of modernisation of infrastructure providing employment and other important areas have been checked The Head of Government familiarised himself with the plans to diversify the economy of the single-industry town with a focus on opening new industries More than 150 thousand people live in Zhanaozen by 2035 the population will exceed 200 thousand inhabitants the importance of providing employment for the townspeople was emphasised including through strengthening measures to support business initiatives of the population Attention is paid to the development of housing and communal infrastructure Olzhas Bektenov was informed that Zhanaozen and adjacent rural settlements are 100% provided with centralised water supply An important project for the life support of the single-industry town is the modernisation of the water treatment plant which supplies the residents with drinking water In order to increase the facility's capacity it is planned to build reservoirs for accumulating water reserves in the amount of 30,000 m3 in 2025 The industrial development of the single-industry town and the launch of new production facilities require additional volumes of electricity NC KazMunayGas JSC and the Italian company ENI have launched an investment project to build a hybrid power plant with a total capacity of 247 MW The project involves the use of combined generation of RES (solar and wind energy) and the construction of a gas-fired power plant Olzhas Bektenov familiarised himself with the measures taken to provide residents with affordable and quality education within the framework of the Comfortable School National Project a modern school for 1.2 thousand seats is planned to be commissioned in Zhanaozen by the end of this year Next year it is planned to build two more comfortable schools construction of the Bolashaq Sarayi Schoolchildren's Palace for 350 seats has begun for the comprehensive development of children and youth The project implemented by Ozenmunaigas is one of the examples of social responsibility of business The schoolchildren's palace is planned to be put into operation by next year Head of the Government was also reported on the progress of construction of a new gas processing plant in the city The launch of the project will not only meet the needs of the population for additional volumes of gas but most importantly will give impetus to further development of industry and creation of petrochemical products with high added value The plant will have a production capacity of 900 billion m3 of associated petroleum and natural gas mixture as well as 5 thousand tonnes of gas condensate per year with full completion of the two start-up complexes scheduled for early 2027 The Prime Minister emphasised that the construction of the gas processing plant will have a wide multiplicative effect on the economic and social development of the region "The Head of State in his Address to the Nation set a task: to provide new points of growth for the economy of single-industry towns Special emphasis should be placed on social well-being and improving the quality of life of people It is extremely important to support the comprehensive development of Zhanaozen as one of the largest single-industry towns in Kazakhstan It is necessary to ensure quality and timely implementation of all social and infrastructure projects Investments and creation of new jobs are important The construction of a new gas processing plant is also under special control which the President has instructed to be built on time We will control," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised Stay updated about the events of the Prime minister and the Government of Kazakhstan - subscribe to the official Telegram channel This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Under the banner of “Silk Road Treasures”, TCA’s people -journalists authors – share their personal experiences of Central Asia and her people provide pointers for readers wishing to visit the region Kazakhstan’s Mangistau Peninsula (Mangyshlak) is far from fit for human habitation the air is filled with dust raised by searing desert winds huge waves roll over the turbulent Caspian Sea and only camels can feed on its vegetation Mangistau is a symbol of the triumph of nature and as events on the peninsula have repeatedly confirmed the peninsula’s landscape still retained its wild The remains of ancient nomadic sites and necropolises of Sufi missionaries illustrates that people have long been determined to tame and develop this remote and barren land but its explosive growth only occurred with the discovery of oil and uranium cities appeared and hundreds of enterprises were established making  Mangistau one of the gems in the Soviet Union’s crown Colossal desalination plants near the regional center of Aktau (former Shevchenko) resembling spaceships are a legacy of the era of rapid development when the world’s first industrial nuclear reactor on fast neutrons The reactor was shut down after independence in the late 1990s few people are allowed into the gloomy catacombs but the memory of the power of the atom and the payback has remained BN-350 is part of the Mangistau Atomic Energy Combine (MAEC) and the giant desalination plants now supply most of the peninsula with water from the Caspian Sea and the presence of the endless row of desalination plants warns: “Beware You will have to fight for every drop.” and intensive farming is out of the question are imported and far more expensive than elsewhere in Kazakhstan where they grow in abundance And although salaries in the oil industry are higher than the national average locals pay triple the price for just about  everything Irresistibly attracted by the glitter of “black gold,” the population in the peninsula continues to rise Almost 800 thousand people currently live in the Mangistau region making it the ninth most populous region in the country The load on the peninsula’s natural resources however is now so disproportionate that it has become the cause of constant conflicts it is easy to forget the harsh reality of the industrial age whitewashed houses rise out of the yellow desert haze like a set from a movie Still bearing the name of a Bolshevik killed by the White Guards in 1919 the port also houses the Kazakhstani fleet and oil companies’ ships poised to deal with the capricious Caspian sea when it freezes in winter Melting and shimmering in the grey haze of the  50-degree heat the 150 kilometer highway separating Aktau and oil zone of Zhanaozen is devoid of settlements and roadside stores and the only signs of life are the  silhouettes of camels – “desert ships”-  floating by in the distance nothing tells you that you are passing Karagye one of the deepest dry depressions in Asia (132 meters below sea level) it is easy to imagine that in times immemorial the spirits of the local deserts rose from the canyon Karagiye is the deepest natural depression in Kazakhstan (132 meters below sea level) Zhanaozen is another legacy of the Soviet era the neighborhood accesses fresh water transported hundreds of kilometers from the Volga River; the result of a bold innovation by engineers after the fall of the USSR which almost turned into a disaster every faucet in the city was wrapped in gauze and the water looked like rusty liquid mud Even in expensive hotels and oil company offices thanks to the reconstruction of the water pipeline just cube-like houses that suddenly rise from the desiccated earth The town is encircled by kilometers of “shakes” of the Novy Uzen (Zhanaozen) deposit supplies of  Novy Uzen are close to exhaustion but that does not stop the influx of those wanting to work in the oil industry a protest broke out in the town in December 2011 Protesters spent over half a year camping in tents where under the scorching sun and winter winds they defended demands that the management of the oil company and the Akimat (mayor’s office) could not satisfy during Kazakhstan’s Independence Day celebrations angry protesters started riots in Zhanaozen Square Crackdown on protesters in Zhanaozen (2011) But despite the harsh nature and social cataclysms the peninsula’s inhabitants welcome guests and the region remains the pearl of Kazakhstan Joanna Lillis is a freelance writer who specializes in Central Asia We take no responsibility for the accuracy of the translation 202116 December marks the ten-year anniversary of the tragedy in Zhanaozen killing 17 and injuring more than 100 workers The violence ended a seven-month long strike involving more than 3,000 workers demanding a wage increase The tragic end to the drawn-out labour conflict came after authorities remained passive bordering on intentional escalation and succumbing to pressure by the employer Social dialogue is still rarely used to prevent labour disputes This year has seen a rise in spontaneous strikes in the oil sector due to increased social tension Workers are demanding increased wages and better working conditions The Kazakh trade union movement has been seriously oppressed in the last decade A regressive law on trade unions was adopted in 2014 which prevents the creation of free and independent unions there were direct attacks on independent unions The Confederation of independent trade unions of Kazakhstan (KNPRK) was liquidated and the activities of its last remaining affiliate the Trade union of fuel and energy industry workers The anti-union actions weaken Kazakh unions there has been more than 60 large strikes this year and strikers are potentially subject to criminal prosecution union rights violations in Kazakhstan were in focus at the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards during the International Labour Conference Despite positive amendment of Kazakh legislation in 2020 the Committee noted the continuing restrictions in practice on the right of workers to form organizations of their own choosing which undermine the exercise of freedom of association The Committee requested the government of Kazakhstan to bring all national legislation in line with the ILO Convention 87 ensure complete investigation of violence against trade union members stop judicial harassment of trade union leaders and members conducting lawful trade unions activities and drop all unjustified charges including the ban to conduct trade union activities resolve the registration of liquidated Confederation and its suspended affiliate overcome obstacles in registration of trade unions and refrain from interference into trade unions operations “Kazakhstan must comply with international obligations and respect core labour standards and union rights Free and strong unions that can handle labour disputes with genuine social dialogue will ensure that the 2011 Zhanaozen tragedy will not be repeated,” says IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliates represent over 50 million workers in 140 countries in the mining We take up the fight for better working conditions and trade union rights around the world © Copyright 2018 - IndustriALL - We care about your personal information and data. Take a look at our Privacy Policy. The Prosecutor-General’s Office has released progress reports on the investigation at regular intervals to the media. As of January 25 it brought charges against six suspected organizers, 11 suspected arsonists and looters, and 23 identified as “active participants” in the Zhanaozen violence. Additionally, three are charged as organizers and 12 as active participants in attacking the railway station and tearing out the tracks in Shtepe (also in Mangistau region). In both places, rioters used Molotov cocktails, improvised blank weapons and clubs, and occasionally shotguns (Interfax-Kazakhstan, January 25). Such sentiment might seem to indicate a risk of demoralizing the police. However, the government seems set to launch a reform of the law enforcement apparatus. In his annual, state-of-the-country address on January 27, President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced that all law-enforcement agencies’ officers would have to undergo re-certification (facing possible replacement) by July 1, on a country-wide basis (Kazinform, January 27). Government ministers are expected to arrive in Zhanaozen on working visits with the end of the state of emergency. The Kazakhstani media is also expected to turn up. Writing in a US foreign policy journal, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Kazykhanov encourages the international press to visit and report from Zhanaozen (Foreign Policy [Washington], January 26). In February, the deputy chairman of KazMunaiGas, Magzum Mirzagaliyev, announced that an industrial park would be built in Zhanaozen. “The company has signed a range of agreements to create the industrial park in Zhanaozen, establish production of solar modules, [and] set up companies for production of different types of oil and gas equipment,” Mirzagaliyev said (TengriNews.kz, February 15). Support non-profit journalism and perspectives from around the world. See all those languages? The Lingua project at Global Voices works to bring down barriers to understanding through translation. The oil workers from Zhanaozen protesting in front of the Ministry of Energy in Astana This article was written by Dmitriy Mazorenko and Paolo Sorbello for Vlast.kz An edited version is republished on Global Voices under a media partnership agreement On April 10 and 11, oil workers from Zhanaozen, a city in the Mangistau province in western Kazakhstan, carried out a protest in the capital Astana Around 150 laid-off employees of the BerAli Mangistau Company spent a night outside the building of the Ministry of Energy They demanded to be hired directly by Ozenmunaigas the principal oil and gas producer in the region and subsidiary of the state-owned Kazmunaigas they were detained and dragged into police vans They were released the next day and sent back to Mangistau Only 10 leaders remained in the capital for the negotiations Kazmunaigas rejected demands for permanent jobs at Ozenmunaigas which would have given workers greater financial stability and social protection The oil workers rejected the proposal to increase the terms of their contracts from one to five years arguing it would not significantly improve their conditions Since Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991, the workers at oil and oil service companies have regularly organized mass protests and strikes. The largest was in 2011, when the security forces suppressed an eight-month workers’ strike at Kazmunaigas’ subsidiary companies in Zhanaozen Seventeen protesters died and over a hundred sustained injuries as law enforcement bodies fired at the crowds which increased in frequency in the past five years Corporate PR and state propaganda argue that the workers are selfish and greedy earning exponentially more than average citizens their strikes and pickets are poised to repeat The three largest oil fields, Tengiz, Kashagan, and Karachaganak in the northwest of the country account for around two-thirds of Kazakhstan’s oil production Foreign participation in their operation is significant and Italy’s Eni having played a major role since the mid-1990s they split up the Soviet era vertically-integrated enterprises and contributed to the proliferation of the practice of subcontracting these principal companies shed a lot of  responsibilities by outsourcing services to other companies which were not strict in their observation of rules they pushed subcontractors to compete for a finite number of jobs It prompted subcontractors to cut technology and labor related expenses The length of subcontractor agreements also grew shorter In towns where the main economic activity is oil and gas extraction losing a tender is an existential matter for subcontractors such companies lay off workers and become idle until the next tender Laid-off workers are sometimes rehired by companies that win tenders Winning subcontractors can pick from a large number of workers from companies that lost The number of workers in oil and gas projects can inflate by thousands especially during major renovations at oil fields and processing plants companies have implemented global standards of outsourcing labor By hiring workers through manpower agencies the principal companies avoid inflating their own staff and delegate all responsibility for hiring and firing to third parties workers become pawns at the mercy of seasonal workflow this makes their “well-paid salaries” not constant throughout the year their work cannot be compared to salaried office workers Companies often criticize workers for “being greedy” and demanding salaries well above the average of KZT 300,000 per month (around USD 650) workers in the oilfields are generally paid by shift Only some of the largest oil companies pay salaries that can afford oil workers a “good life.” But as outsourcing becomes increasingly widespread Because of these outsourcing practices, it is common to see workers from different companies doing the same job at the same oilfields. Their different employers subject them to different work conditions, safety standards, and salary levels which they seldom can correct or fight against because of the lack of independent trade unions For three decades, Kazakhstan’s government passed laws restricting workers’ rights to strike and formulate collective demands These laws often mirrored the neoliberal standards set up with the aid of transnational companies in several other countries relying on the extractive sector The authorities constantly used violence against trade union activists: they were killed This led to the disintegration of all independent workers’ associations and prevented the creation of new ones activities of trade unions were systematically discredited by state institutions which claimed that the state itself was in charge of protecting workers’ rights Government agencies and state-sponsored trade unions also sought to absorb independent labor organizations Workers’ actions are still perceived as a hostile element by the government Since the workers have no other channels of communication protests remain the only way to voice their concerns Employees of oil enterprises in the Mangistau region are dependent on the subsidiaries of Kazmunaigas (Ozenmunaigas These companies are the largest employers in the region and main customers for local oilfield service companies private companies only operate a few smaller oilfields But their gradual depletion will lead to a decrease in purchases of local services and Karachaganak) will account for almost three-quarters of all oil production in Kazakhstan The share of small and medium-sized oilfield production will continue to decline which is already controlled by large companies (the top-10 companies commission 87 percent of the contracts) Despite local legislation on “local content” demanding otherwise the operators of large deposits give preference not to local but to foreign contractors who have opened their own subsidiaries in Kazakhstan or participate in Kazakhstani legal entities they occupy a dominant position in the structure of the oilfield service market (56 percent of the total number of enterprises) The largest companies still lack trust in local entrepreneurs because of corruption and potential administrative interference ERROR: SECURITY TIMEOUT - Please copy your message to a backup location Global Voices stands out as one of the earliest and strongest examples of how media committed to building community and defending human rights can positively influence how people experience events happening beyond their own communities and national borders Please consider making a donation to help us continue this work Donate now Authors, please log in » Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Stay up to date about Global Voices and our mission. See our Privacy Policy for details. Newsletter powered by Mailchimp (Privacy Policy and Terms) Global Voices is supported by the efforts of our volunteer contributors, foundations, donors and mission-related services. For more information please read our Fundraising Ethics Policy Special thanks to our many sponsors and funders The protests that began over the weekend in the western Kazakhstan town of Zhanaozen have rolled into their third day and are now spreading across the country The demands of the crowds are sounding increasingly political according to scant reports from the region But they began with something very concrete: the price of liquified petroleum gas the fuel that many use to power their cars It all began with the phased transition to electronic trading for LPG that began in January 2019 and concluded on the first day of this year The idea was to gradually end the subsidizing of prices for domestic fuel consumers and to allow the market to dictate prices instead This means that almost all trade in LPG now happens over online trading platforms with the exception of sales to industrial consumers in the petrochemical sector and a few other cases That is a higher proportion than in many other parts of Kazakhstan Despite western Kazakhstan being rich in oil and gas it is acknowledged that quality of life there is generally inferior to the capital and because food has to be brought in over large distances it can often end up costing more than in those richer urban centers Fiddling with fuel prices was always bound to inspire rage How has the government defended its LPG policy That is 16 percent lower than it was before the protests began This is the government’s account of things LPG was generally sold at a loss for producers because prices for domestic consumers were regulated by the state and set at a rate below the cost of producing the fuel Another goal of the reform was to tackle illegal trading in LPG. Black-market operators are said to covertly export the commodity to countries where prices are significantly higher than in Kazakhstan. The government has produced data showing that the average retail price for LPG stands at 110 tenge ($0.25) per liter in Kazakhstan That is two-thirds as much as Russians pay and around half the price LPG sells for in Kyrgyzstan With market relations dictating prices, making and selling LPG would finally become a more attractive proposition for producers. Why, those producers will have asked themselves, were they paying 80 tenge to produce a liter of LPG in Mangystau but only being allowed to sell it for 60 tenge the transition to market rules was to be a cure-all Investors in the fuel sector would now finally have enough money to refurbish aging and unproductive old plants And no longer would drivers endure the endless cycles of shortages. Those shortages were only due to worsen, by the way. Demand for LPG in 2021 rose by 14 percent year on year up to 1.6 million tons – even as production remained flat mixed in with the raging over price rises this week there was also fuming about deficits of the fuel have to shelve its notions of switching to market rules or riding it out and doing what it takes to solve the fuel sector’s intractable problems.  Almaz Kumenov is an Almaty-based journalist Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none. 2011 ShareSave Why are outside analysts so ready to see a nascent Kazakh uprising that isn't really there there is another country where conflict is raising fears of instability: Kazakhstan While the situation in Kazakhstan continues to seethe -- hospitals are still treating wounded suffering from gunshot wounds and the streets of Zhanaozen are dotted with burned-out buildings -- it is important to keep in mind what Kazakhstan is not Kazakhstan is dealing with localized unrest It is not dealing with an Arab Spring-style movement or even a revitalized global terrorist movement No matter how hard officials in Kazakhstan try to bring closure to last winter’s outburst of violence in and around the western city of Zhanaozen the incident continues to dent the Central Asian nation’s reputation for stability and rising prosperity At the heart of the lingering tension over the Zhanaozen tragedy -- in which labor unrest prompted rioting that turned deadly -- is the matter of culpability for the loss of life Questions about the conduct of security forces remain unanswered to a satisfying degree An official probe into events placed most of the blame for the violence on government critics and assorted malcontents At first, officials believed that prosecuting alleged rabble-rousers would suffice to defuse tension. But the trials held to date have done more to stoke anger than to dampen it. Four separate trials of police and protestors have already been completed, ending in the convictions of 45 civilians and six members of the security forces involving prominent political figures accused of fomenting unrest authorities in Astana have tried to calm the situation by freeing jailed labor rights activists No date has been set for the start of the next Zhanaozen trial but all but three of the former oil workers and political activists who were expected in the dock have been quietly freed in recent weeks The three prominent figures still behind bars are: Vladimir Kozlov leader of the unregistered opposition Alga party; opposition activist Serik Sapargali; and former oil worker Akzhanat Aminov who was last summer convicted of leading an illegal strike in Zhanaozen (which later became the catalyst for the violence) This suggests Astana is pursuing a divide-and-rule strategy but singling out the most vocal activists to take the rap for fatal clashes “Hence while Authorities are more lenient towards [labor] protesters and their activists they have a much harder line on the political activists,” Lilit Gevorgyan “It is relatively easy to deal with disenchanted oil workers by restoring their salaries and meeting some of their demands but the political activists are more problematic for the authorities Gevorgyan pointed out that President Nursultan Nazarbayev even while acknowledging police wrongdoing and legitimate grievances among the oil workers has maintained that “political opponents have tried to destabilize the country taking advantage of existing grievances.” Bolat Atabayev and Zhanbolat Mamay, two prominent activists abruptly arrested in mid-June on incitement charges were among those who have been released from custody in recent weeks even after fresh charges of calling for the overthrow of the state had been pressed against them Atabayev, a respected 60-year-old theater director who had been declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was released on July 3 after signing a repentance pledge; Mamay’s release followed nine days later Both have declared they have no intention of renouncing their political views Mamay announced defiantly on Facebook after his release that he would fight for the freedom of those still jailed The catch-and-release policy does not appear to have done much to help sway local public opinion in Zhanaozen Prime Minister Karim Masimov was greeted by placard-waving protestors including one carrying a message that read “The blood will not wash away!” according to a report in the Respublika newspaper Relatives of those jailed believe their loved ones are scapegoats for the violence Internationally, Nazarbayev’s administration is now coping with calls from the United Nations for an independent probe into Zhanaozen UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said an international investigation was needed to address “unanswered questions” including whether using live fire against unarmed demonstrators was “necessary and proportional.” Despite Astana’s pledge of fair, even-handed proceedings, critics have questioned whether justice has been done, amid allegations (declared unfounded by investigators) that evidence was extracted through torture pointing to “serious question marks over the fairness of judicial processes.” Astana’s response to Pillay’s comments was swift and unequivocal: the UN high commissioner had “given a one-sided evaluation of events,” countered Foreign Ministry spokesman Altay Abibullayev Notwithstanding the bristling response to Pillay Astana has tacitly acknowledged mistakes in the handling of the Zhanaozen crisis: authorities have taken action to ensure that industrial disputes are rapidly defused and announced blueprints to promote national socioeconomic wellbeing and tackle unemployment and social disaffection in Zhanaozen despite its small population and remote location from the world’s major economic and political centers of influence has been able to exercise considerable influence in global affairs is that it attracts enormous foreign investment foreign investors welcome the new country’s record of political stability But the December 16 violence in Zhanaozen has rattled some foreign investors adding to longer standing commercial concerns as well as worries about the uncertain political succession process as Kazakhstan transitions to a new post-Soviet generation of leaders. International rankings still rate the business climate in resource-rich Kazakhstan relatively highly compared to other major energy producers (Doing Business Report for 2012 but more incidents like Zhanaozen could lead some Western investors to curtail their investments in Kazakhstan the incident has not dented Kazakhstan’s magnetic pull on foreign investors During its first two decades of independence since December 1991 Kazakhstan received more than $130 billion of foreign direct investment (Kazakhstan News Bulletin  Although there have been some terrorist bombings in the past year they have been isolated and resulted in few casualties (Trend Labor unions eschew violence even in their rare strike actions Workers have generally seen rising living standards in line with Kazakhstan’s overall prosperity Despite recurring allegations of election fraud (OSCE https://www.osce.org/odihr/86985; State Department https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/01/180810.htm) the government of President Nursulatan Nazarabayev seems popular. Still like others living and working in Kazakhstan Western investors expressed unease about their lack of information regarding what really happened at Zhanaozen Western investors are more concerned with traditional issues such as corruption Jamestown had an opportunity to interview senior executives of several Western and Kazakhstani companies in Aktau before and after monitoring the parliamentary elections in Zhanaozen on January 15. The Western investors agree with other sources that corruption has declined over the years They often need approval to import highly specialized drilling and other equipment due to the complex geophysical conditions at Kazakhstan’s offshore hydrocarbon projects Paying bribes to key people is often essential for securing their entry. The Kazakhstani authorities recently announced the detention of several current and former senior government officials of Zhanaozen as well as executives of the local affiliate of the state oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz (KMG) on suspicion that they diverted funds that should have gone to improving social conditions of the workers and other residents of the town (Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Nazarbayev stressed the importance of fighting corruption in his January 27 2012 State of Nation Address (www.kazakhstanlive.com). Another Western business concern is that government’s policy of restricting the number of foreign nationals that companies can import to run their operations Although the skills of Kazakhstani managers and technical workers continues to increase thanks to government education programs as well as business initiatives Kazakhstan still lacks senior managers with long experience running large projects as well as highly trained experts in some special technical issues required to manage the challenges at their complex offshore hydrocarbon projects has been trying to force Western companies to give it shares in their projects despite the absence of such a condition in their original investment contracts irritates Western investors When the government and KMG try to force changes in their Production Sharing Agreements at a time when the investments are about to produce something they undermine the original calculations. Western investors also complain that the continuing changes in Kazakhstan’s tax code also complicate their calculations they find the requirement to keep lengthy tax and personnel records in a special government archives burdensome  Although Western investors agree that local business conditions have improved they raised additional complaints about the new uncertainties introduced by the new Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs union that entered into force at the beginning of this year A future fear is that the Kazakhstani authorities will follow the Russian playbook and seek to use environmental and other regulations to force Western companies to transfer projects that finally begin to yield a profit to Kazakh control the main Western concern about the future is that there will be more instances of labor violence such as that which occurred in Zhanaozen The Kazakhstani authorities have taken vigorous action to avert such a development President Nazarbayev announced in his 2012 State of the Nation Address a new government initiative to diversify employment in single-industry towns like Zhanaozen worry whether Kazakhstan’s weak political and social institutions will manage the transition when Nazarbayev who has centralized political power in his hands for the past two decades The west of Kazakhstan is in ferment once more.  Only six weeks after protests in the Mangystau region triggered a chain reaction of nationwide rallies that culminated with deadly unrest in the city of Almaty oil workers have come out onto the streets with demands for higher pay a subsidiary of a state-owned energy company upon which the town’s economy depends almost entirely They have two main demands: more pay and an end of prosecutions and the alleged physical abuse of people detained over their involvement in last month’s protests “The detainees are not terrorists. We want an end to the torture and for them be released! The authorities must pursue political reforms,” a rally ringleader, Orazbai Tursynbai, told RFE/RL’s Kazakh service Tursynbai was a prominent figure in the months-long Zhanaozen worker protests in 2011 that ended in a deadly clampdown by police that December Fully 16 people died after police opened fire on protestors The protest mood in Mangystau is spreading beyond just the energy sector whose workers have traditionally displayed most resolve in their confrontation against employers On February 14, local state-employed veterinarians recorded a video message threatening to stop working from March 1 unless their salaries are increased Their complaints included the charge that even the best-qualified and most experienced vets are earning salaries of no more than $200.  Drivers for the Mangystau regional government have likewise complained about their low pay and called for their salaries to be doubled.  Then there are the unemployed. Groups of Zhanaozen residents have been gathering outside the city hall for weeks pleading to be given jobs in oil companies. A group involved in a picket on February 14 recorded a video message urging the end to a freeze on the hiring of new staff in the oil and gas industry They also appealed to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to visit the region and deal with people’s discontents directly.  Uzenmunaigas imposed a moratorium on new hires in 2015 The stated money-saving strategy of its parent company has been to farm out more work to outsourcing companies Mangystau regional governor Nurlan Nogayev has been at a loss to deal with any of these or earlier protests When people came onto the streets in Zhanaozen in early January in a show of anger at the sudden spike in prices for car fuel he has stuck to issuing a statement through his office’s website pledging to provide jobs.  “Problems will be solved, but not immediately. It takes time,” he said in the February 15 statement The capital too is showing some signs of nerves over the fact that public discontent in the west will not abate. On February 17, Nogayev spoke with Tokayev who delivered a “number of specific instructions” on the socio-economic development of the Mangystau region All the needs of the workers must be carefully studied Their legitimate interests must be respected We need to build a constructive dialogue between trade unions and company owners,” he said at a government meeting on February 8 Toleutai Rakhimbekov, an analyst at a government-affiliated think tank, wrote on Facebook that it was past time that the government devote more attention to the distant provinces and the perennial rise in prices for foodstuffs” is leading to the underdevelopment of rural communities and the agricultural sector January 2022 taught us nothing,” he concluded Police in Kazakhstan’s capital engaged in a fresh display of edginess on April 11 when they robustly dispersed several dozen demonstrators who traveled to the capital from an oil-rich western region with demands for well-paid jobs Anger over that crackdown spread quickly in Mangystau, the province from which the protestors had traveled. Workers at several oil companies declared wildcat strikes and spontaneous marches took place in the city of Aktau and in the town of Zhanaozen. In Zhanaozen, large numbers of local people are said to have assembled in front of the city hall in a call for the release of picketers detained in Astana In a confirmation of the jittery moods among officials, Mangystau governor Nurlan Nogayev issued a late-night address to urge the public to refrain from doing anything that could cause instability “We must understand that this situation must be resolved within the framework of the law We all want stability and certainty in the future,” Nogayev said Internet and phone signals were reportedly patchy in Zhanaozen – an evident sign that the authorities are concerned that protests could escalate and spread Picketers from Zhanaozen appear to have arrived in the capital on April 10 with the aim of holding a sit-in outside the offices of the Energy Ministry Their discontent is understood to have been triggered by their recent dismissal from an oil industry services provider called Berali Mangistau Company The dismissed workers initially picketed the offices of UzenMunaiGaz the Zhanaozen-based subsidiary of a state-owned energy company for which Berali Mangistau Company did contracting work After failing to secure reinstatement to their old jobs After the demonstrators refused to leave the plaza outside the Energy Ministry on the second day of their sit-in masked police in black fatigues encircled the area and a representative from the prosecutor’s office arrived to order those present to disperse or face the consequences of breaking the law on public assemblies Police eventually closed in on the demonstrators Video footage of the confrontation that ensued showed police officers jostling with protestors some of which threw themselves in front of the police buses to block their passage At least 20 protestors were detained, according to a reporter with RFE/RL’s Kazakh service the authorities scrambled to provide reassuring signals A few hours after the confrontation at the Energy Ministry building two figures identified as leaders of the protestors – Zholmurat Ulykpanov and Nursultan Nurumuly – appeared in a video appeal circulated online to say that almost all the protesters were being returned to Mangystau and to urge people marching in Zhanaozen to return to their homes The pair said five representatives from their group would stay behind in Astana to negotiate with the Energy Ministry and state-owned oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz on how to resolve the impasse released a statement to say that striking employees at three of its subsidiary companies – UzenMunaiGaz UzenMunai Service and Burgylau – had returned to their workstations “At [8 p.m.], employees at these companies returned to work. The companies are performing their activities in normal mode,” KazMunaiGaz said in a statement As of late April 11, it remained unclear that any of these measures and signals had had the requisite effect. One news outlet, Vlast, reported that demonstrators in Aktau and Zhanaozen were refusing to disperse until they had received definitive confirmation that detained oil workers had been released by the police Protesters march in Kazakhstan's Mangistau region in December 2011IGOR NESTEROV/AFP/Getty Images 4 at a cafe in the western Kazakh town of Zhanaozen While authorities have claimed that a natural gas leak caused the explosion the incident happened only days after controversial court hearings were held for people involved in riots that occurred in the city in December 2011. Even if the explosion proves to be accidental the incident draws attention to simmering tensions and possible instability in Zhanaozen and the wider Mangistau region one of Kazakhstan's main oil-producing areas The restive Kazakh city of Zhanaozen has seen an uptick in activity that could jeopardize regional security... Blair told the autocratic ruler that the December 2011 deaths should not obscure the enormous progress that Kazakhstan has made" Blair advised Nazarbeyev that when dealing with the western media including oil workers demanding higher wages In the letter, obtained by the Sunday Telegraph he also suggested passages to be inserted into a speech the president was giving at the University of Cambridge aimed at counteracting any bad publicity One read: "By all means make your points and I assure you we're listening But give us credit for the huge change of a positive nature we have brought about" The former Labour leader's consultancy, Tony Blair Associates signing a multi- million pound deal to advise Kazakhstan's leadership on good governance just months after Nazarbeyev was controversially re-elected with 96% of the vote and weeks before the massacre The government blamed the opposition for events in Zhanaozen jailing alleged ringleader Vladimir Kozlov amid an international outcry and closing his party Activists say Blair's appointment has produced no change for the better or advance of democratic rights. In its World Report 2014, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the country's "poor human rights record continued to deteriorate in 2013" It said torture remained common and referred to restrictions on free speech director of the HRW's Europe and Central Asia division accused the former prime minister of acting as "a spin doctor for how to best manage the fallout from the massacre," rather than seeking to effect change "This letter shows that Blair really has no shame in terms of his work with respect to Kazakhstan in particular," said Williamson Blair and his companies have been awarded a string of multimillion consultancy contracts with private corporations, dictatorships and regimes, including, Kuwait, the UAE and Colombia. In June, a group of former British ambassadors and political figures joined a campaign to call for Blair to be sacked as Middle East envoy his "blurring the lines between his public position as envoy" and his private business dealings in the region A spokeswoman for Blair said he "has always made clear that there are real challenges for Kazakhstan over issues of human rights and political reform" but maintained that it had made "huge progress" She added that the letter was making the point that "the events of Zhanaozen were indeed tragic and they had to be confronted in any speech David Cameron became the first serving British prime minister to visit Kazakhstan in July last year. I spent my first night in Kazakhstan at a punk show in the hills surrounding the capital There were 22’s of local beer, calf tattoos, bikes, a guy named “Joy” bragging about his small family farm and French Screamo music It could have been a late summer evening in Seattle – well minus the presence of heavily bribed park guards and bored-looking horses In the past 6 weeks of reporting from the Former Soviet Union (FSU to its dorky friends) I’m often in the company of some combination of gamers, vegans, LGBT activists, politicized rappers and occupy protesters Given all of these familiar millennial hipster touchstones it’s easy to start thinking pretty positive about our generation Ukraine, a country practically synonymous with sex trafficking, is now home to one of the most radical feminist organizations around a postmodern 26-year-old historian is dedicated to revolutionizing the way his country relates to its past an LGBT rights group offers commitment ceremonies at the city’s first aboveground gay bar (open since May) young intellectuals shout about the information revolution in bars serving mango mojitos and prepare for another round of anti-Putin protests I leaned over to a my husband-colleague—a person I’ve worked with in some pretty sad and tough places—and asked “Is it possible that things are just getting better?” Two days later we were headed for Zhanaozen—an oil town of about 50,000 in western Kazakhstan and site of last year’s police/government killing of striking oil workers The road through the center of Zhanaozen is lined with baby trees.  The massive Soviet-style cinderblock apartment buildings are freshly painted pastel: coral, mint, lavender and robin’s egg.  City workers, their faces eerily wrapped Invisible Man-style in tee-shirt balaclavas and sunglasses to protect against dust storms blowing in from the surrounding desert listlessly point hoses at newly planted flowerbeds I can’t confirm it, but there seems to be a campaign afoot to cheer up Zhanaozen.  There’s certainly no sign of the street battles and riots of December 16th 2011 when–after months of striking for better conditions and higher wages–workers occupying the town square were fired on by police At least 12 people were killed and dozens were injured It was the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence from the USSR The north Caspian Sea is home to the Kashagan Field one of the world’s biggest oil discoveries in decades it is also now home to an international rainbow of oil interests There’s Kazakhstan’s state owned KazMunaiGas and then there’s Eni Inpex and the China National Petroleum Corporation (Italian Though the NYT article did interview the report’s author who mentioned how “risky” it is for companies to “partner” with a government that has as sucky (my word now not hers) a human right’s record as Kazakhstan’s [Side note: The “fighting against terrorism” piece of Zhovtis’ unholy quartet is heating up in Kazakhstan.  There was a recent bomb-blast in Atyrau—the closest city to the offshore Kashagan oil field.  Subsequently five suspected terrorists were killed in a security operation turned shoot-out.] Back in Zhanaozen we head into a housing development just shy of the train tracks and a refinery on the edge of town. Activists and labor leaders involved with last year’s strike are on trial in nearby Aktau (about 95 miles from Zhanaozen) and as a result a number of international delegates and human rights activists are in the region interviewing victims of the violence We’re trying to catch up with one such delegation and get hopelessly lost among blue and red tiled houses situated along dirt roads and under tangles of overhead water pipes the crisp be-suited European delegates are already piling back into their minivan Left behind are 5 or 6 men and women sitting in a poured cement courtyard in the rising evening I feel queasy at the prospect of interviewing again imagining a full day spent recounting traumatic events to strangers But within moments a Kazakhstani human rights activist who says she represents the victims of Zhanaozen charges up and pushes me forward towards the small group Without asking a question the stories tumble towards me in broken English and hastily translated Russian and Kazakh A middle-aged striker shows a bullet wound in his neck A younger man next to him points at his leg encased in track pants modified to accommodate a medieval-looking traction device He unzips the cuff to the inseam to reveal a shrunken shin with an angry trying to organize for better wages and safer conditions; others were bystanders that just showed up at the day’s celebration expecting entertainment A few are parents of young people that died that day Off to the side of the group a grandfather holds his smallest granddaughter as another girl weaves between his legs worked machinery at a subsidiary of the state-run gas company He was not striking on December 16th; instead he was headed for the festival planned to celebrate the country’s independence Instead—either reacting to angry protestors or to orders from higher-ups—police opened fire on the crowd Tolekhan Turganbayev’s son was dead by 11AM “I don’t know what I’ll do now,” says Turganbayev “The oldest asks me all the time ‘where is my father?’ and I don’t know what to tell her.” “When she’s older will you tell her what happened?” I ask unable to think of anything to say except “I’m sorry.”  I noticed my translator trying to push tears back into the corners of her eyes “Do you think the government is on your side or the side of the oil companies?” Driving back to our hotel through a pink dusk that takes hours to fade I wonder how all the progress and enthusiasm I’ve encountered on this trip can exist in the same country – or even the same world – as Zhanaozen I wonder if any of this pain and fear has touched the hopeful Then I remember a conversation back in Almaty—a night in a bar that could have been transplanted from the cool neighborhood of any coastal city back home (an ironic standup piano; side parts and skinny jeans) I sat across from a 22-year-old named Ruslan talking about everything from his time on an exchange program in Portland OR (loved it) to his decision to become an atheist (as a teenager) and his new job working advertising at a luxury magazine (just acquired that very day) Ruslan knows about Soviet history and traditional Kazakh culture He found the US to be seductive but lonely and said: “I wouldn’t move to America because there’s nothing there I can’t get here.” I was headed to Zhanaozen soon after and he seemed savvy and politically-minded so I asked him what he thought about the violence “the government here doesn’t want us to talk about things like that.” The change in tone was so swift I almost laughed – thinking he was joking – until I registered the tone in his voice Generation Putin: stories exploring politics and everyday life for Millennials in the former Soviet Union, is produced by the Common Language Project and comes from the Public Radio Exchange with financial support from the Open Society Foundation The Seattle Globalist ceased to operate on September 30 Our mission is to elevate diverse voices through media The Seattle Globalist is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization The Seattle Globalist ceased operations on September 30 Web design and development by Fran López 2012IndustriALL Global Union sent a letter to the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev voicing concerns over the trial of 37 people in connection with 16 December 2011 events in Zhanaozen IndustriALL General Secretary Jyrki Raina sent a letter to the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev with copies to prime minister as well as general prosecutor voicing concerns over the trial of 37 people in connection with 16 December 2011 riots in Zhanaozen Many of those sentenced to prison for taking part in riots were prominent workers’ leaders during the 2011 oil workers’ strike during the trial both the defendants and witnesses testified to being tortured In early June 13 defendants received sentences ranging from 3 to 7 years All the sentences were confirmed by this court of higher jurisdiction Rosa Tuletaeva’s sentence was reduced from 7 to 5 years Those sentenced to prison include most outspoken oil workers all of whom had assumed active roles in the strike international human rights organizations reported that during the trial both the defendants and the witnesses had testified that they were subjected to physical and psychological abuse by police and investigators and threats of rape or harm to family members testified in court that he was tortured for several days and forced to bear evidence against oil workers in Zhanaozen He completely renounced his earlier testimony Alexander Bozhenko’s testimony was central to the presentation given by human rights activist Galym Ageleulov at the OSCE session in Warsaw On 16 October Kazakh media reported that Alexander Bozhenko was found severely beaten and later died from his injuries While the authorities claim that the murder was not connected in any way to the trial many observers note irregularities in the official explanation In a letter to Nazarbaev Jyrki Raina urged him to ensure a full investigation of the murder of Alexander Bozhenko investigate cases of torture reported by the defendants and witnesses of the Zhanaozen trial and thus revise the results of the trial The letter can be found here Vladimir Kozlov and Akzhanat Aminov were charged with inciting public discord (Article 164, part 3 of the Criminal Code); calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order (Article 170, part 2); and establishing and leading an organized criminal group (Article 235, part 1). Sapargaly was charged under Articles 164, part 3 and 170, part 2 (BNews.kz, August 16). Kozlov and Spargali were arrested in Almaty in January and transferred to a pre-trial detention facility in Aktau in May. Aminov was detained in February in Zhanaozen. If convicted, they face prison sentences of up to 12 years. Kozlov and Aminov may be imprisoned for up to 19 years as they are also charged under Article 235. On the first day of the trial, Kozlov denied all charges, but Aminov pleaded guilty and Sapargaly admitted some responsibility for the Zhanaozen events.   President orders more potatoes to be planted in Rasht and Tojikobod districts What consequences do Tajik citizens face for traveling to and working in occupied regions of Ukraine? Head of Taliban’s diplomatic mission in Doha insists UN seat be given to IEA’s representative A powerful dust storm expected to hit Tajikistan in the coming days Russia’s prosecutor general asked to investigate into legality of housing subsidies for “new citizens of Russia” Dushanbe to host the first-ever international health and beauty exhibition A miniature exhibition dedicated to epic poem written by Firdavsi opens in Dushanbe US President Trump plans a military parade on his birthday “We won both wars.” Trump proposes a U.S. Victory Day for world wars The mute shoemaker from Dousti: A childhood memory about a WWII veteran whose name no one knew ABC News News HomeToll rises in Kazakh unrestShare Toll rises in Kazakh unrestTopic:Unrest, Conflict and War Workers in Zhanaozen and other cities in the region have been on strike for months for higher wages. (AFP: Anatoly Ustinenko ) Link copiedShareShare articleFifteen people have died in clashes in Kazakhstan's oil-rich Mangistau region, prosecutors said on Sunday, in a blow to a nation that prides itself on years of stability. One person was killed and 11 were wounded in fresh violence on Saturday when protesters blocking a passenger train clashed with police in the village of Shetpe, general prosecutor Nurdaulet Suindikov said in a statement. Those riots followed violence in the city of Zhanaozen, in the same western region, on Friday, when police and laid-off oil workers clashed during the country's independence day celebrations. Workers in Zhanaozen and other cities in the region have been on strike for months for higher wages. On Sunday prosecutors raised the toll from the clashes Zhanaozen to 14. The unprecedented riots forced Kazakh leader Nursultan Nazarbayev to declare a 20-day state of emergency in Zhanaozen, a blow to a government which prides itself on attracting foreign investors. Authorities said on Sunday they had the situation in both towns under control. "The situation in Zhanaozen is gradually becoming normal," Mr Suindikov said. "The situation in the village of Shetpe has stabilised." On Saturday, a group in Shetpe, about 100 kilometres from the regional centre Aktau, stopped a train with more than 360 passengers in a show of support for the protesters in Zhanaozen, prosecutors said. Some 50 people ignored police calls to disperse, set the train on fire and proceeded to vandalise the village, authorities said. "Police were forced to open fire," killing one person, a prosecutors' statement said. Officials led by Mr Nazarbayev dismissed the rioters as "hooligans," alleging they had been paid to destabilise the region and attack peaceful residents. Kyrgyzstan-based opposition channel K-Plus claimed on Sunday that the violence was sparked when police drove a bus into a crowd of protesting oil workers in Zhanaozen to disperse their sit-in. It claimed about 70 people were killed and 500 wounded. These figures could not be independently confirmed as many information sites remain blocked and Zhanaozen was in a virtual lockdown. The town has been cut off from the rest of the country, with phones disconnected, and authorities blocking the main road and performing identity checks. Some observers have suggested that the riots in Zhanaozen might have been instigated by the authorities themselves. "It could be in the interests (of the authorities) because for seven months they have been irritated by people standing on the square and not leaving," the leader of opposition group Alga Vladimir Kozlov said in remarks broadcast on the opposition K-Plus television channel. "They have tried everything short of poisoning people, but they are still striking," he said. Kazakhstan was the last of 15 Soviet republics to declare its independence from the fading Soviet Union, on December 16, 1991. Its vast energy reserves are hugely attractive for neighbouring energy-hungry China as well as for the West, which is keen to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian hydrocarbons. Kazakhstan said earlier this year it had hired former British prime minister Blair as a consultant to attract new investment, on a contract reportedly worth millions of dollars. CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Atyrau region hosted the launch of the main water pipeline "Astrakhan-Mangyshlak" which was expanded as a result of comprehensive reconstruction Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan gave an official start to the work of the facility in the mode of video link.  which is of strategic importance for social and industrial development of the western region was implemented on behalf of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.  the upgraded main water pipeline "Astrakhan-Mangyshlak" will become a source of additional 60 thousand cubic meters of water for the population enterprises and agriculture of Atyrau and Mangystau regions Within the framework of the project works on renewal of worn-out equipment were carried out two sections of the main water pipeline with the length of about 177 km were replaced More than 500 people were involved in the construction the throughput capacity of the Astrakhan-Mangyshlak water pipeline increased from 110 to 170 thousand cubic meters per day "Reconstruction of the water pipeline was carried out 1 year ahead of schedule It became possible due to the verified design solutions and high construction rates And this is not the last such large-scale project in the region," Alikhan Smailov said.  a desalination plant with a capacity of 50 thousand cubic meters per day is being built in the village of Kenderli A main water pipeline 105 km long will be built from it to Zhanaozen city.  the Caspiy water supply plant is being reconstructed its capacity will increase 2 times to 40 thousand cubic meters "Our goal is not only to provide 100% of settlements with clean drinking water by 2026 but also to create a reliable framework for further sustainable water supply to the population and industries projects are being implemented to build new and modernize existing hydraulic structures and water conduits Branching networks are being brought to settlements and pumping modules from underground sources are being installed in remote villages We have a lot of work ahead of us," Head of the Government emphasized.  According to the Chairman of the Board of NC KazMunayGas JSC Magzum Mirzagaliyev cathodic protection stations and autonomous hybrid units as well as part of pipe products were purchased from domestic manufacturers during the project implementation The official ceremony was attended by the Akim of Atyrau region Serik Shapkenov Chairman of the Board of Samruk-Kazyna JSC Nurlan Zhakupov KazTransOil JSC General Director Talgat Kurmanbayev Magistralniy Vodovodovod LLP General Director Berik Salpek and representatives of Atyrau region Berik Salpek and representatives of contracting organizations For reference: The Astrakhan-Mangyshlak trunk water pipeline was commissioned in 1988 It is the only centralized source of water supply for consumers of Kurmangazy Isatay and Zhylyoi districts of Atyrau region Karakiyan and Tupkaragan districts of Mangystau region water from this source is consumed by more than 35% of residents of Mangystau region and more than 28% of residents of Atyrau region Laid-off oil workers from Zhanaozen traveled to Kazakhstan’s capital Astana in early April to demand a solution to their sudden unemployment an oilfield service company lost a tender with the state-owned oil producer the workers - at the time employed by the service company Kezbi - also went to Astana to demand new jobs once their employer lost a tender Kezbi won the tender against BerAli and the workers are again looking for employment Such is the circular economy of an oil town where one single enterprise gives out service contracts to smaller After failing to have a resolutive meeting with the Zhanaozen authorities on April 4 around 100 of the laid-off workers decided to travel to Astana and hold a picket outside the building of the ministry of energy on April 10 The building is located in a round square in Astana We are tired of working for private companies,” one of the workers said in an interview with Radio Azattyq during their picket in Zhanaozen demanded to be hired directly by Ozenmunaigas or by a company that would hold a continuous contract with the main company the workers said that Ozenmunaigas had offered some of the workers a job in Kezbi The workers refused on the grounds of unsatisfactory conditions and safety protocols They also said they do not want to work for a company that could yet again lose the tender next year “We are a group of oil workers from Zhanaozen What are the prices paid for these works by the Samruk-Kazyna fund We demand to check the transparency of tenders and establish justice,” they said Samruk-Kazyna is the national holding company that owns Kazmunaigas Its headquarters are just a stone’s throw away from the ministry of energy building The protest was closely monitored by special police forces in riot gear sitting in several police buses around the area A local representative of internal affairs and a local prosecutor approached the protester and told them to disperse through a loudspeaker Upon the workers' requests to be given mobile toilets and electrical outlets the authorities suggested going to the nearby mosque where they could charge their phones and use the restroom said “negotiations” with the protesters were in progress yet not a single representative of the ministry met with the laid-off workers officials said they could not receive the demands of the workers because they had “violated legal procedures” The workers spent the night outside the ministry while in Astana temperatures dropped to around -2 Celsius Volunteers tried to give out food to the protesters but they were prevented from doing so by the police the group of protesters had grown to around 150 After 14 hours waiting for a dialogue with officials the workers were met by a representative from Kazmunaigas The company suggested that they create a leadership group of ten people with whom to sit at the negotiating table said that their demands are wider than just employment as they also concern working conditions and the socioeconomic conditions in the town of Zhanaozen We are also against corruption in the oil and gas sector,” he said noting that the collective had already sent letters to the local authorities in Zhanaozen Satkaliyev said the protesters were drumming up “a hype” saying that their protest was just a pretext The meeting at the Kazmunaigas office took place in the early afternoon with ten participants from the side of the workers the workers said the meeting was unsuccessful because the Kazmunaigas side timidly offered to rehire a few of the workers in two other service companies a temporary solution that would keep the workers in a precarious position While volunteers were still prevented from giving out food by the police the protesters were able to buy a hot drink and some food came out to the workers later in the afternoon Bapi said that they had just learned about the protest Zaitov said “the problem cannot be solved here it can only be resolved at the negotiating table” We don’t produce anything except raw materials Not a single decision-maker came out to talk to us the special police forces kettled the protesters and forcefully took them into the police vans Only sleeping bags and some of their personal belongings were left by the entrance of the building once every single worker was arrested The local prosecutor had warned the protesters earlier that they should have dispersed but the workers answered: “We are from Mangistau masked security forces tried twice to detain Vlast reporter Beiimbet Moldagali The special forces ultimately detained Vlast photographer Zhanara Karimova and activist Akmaral Dzhakibayeva one of the organizers of the feminist rally in Astana on April 8 The journalists wore press vests and their detention was unjustified Dzhakibayeva was only released five hours later The authorities’ silence on the fate of the detainees who were spread around several police stations around Astana led fellow Zhanaozen residents to assemble outside their local government building to demand their release More than 1,000 people gathered in Zhanaozen the authorities cut off internet connection in the city and reduced phone reception sent a video message to the protesters urging them to “contain emotions” and observe the law not to commit any illegal actions,” Kosuakov said He also noted that the local government “continues to take measures to create new jobs for the unemployed" in a video message spread around social media the protesters in Astana said they would soon return to Zhanaozen on a train “We were released from the police station in Astana Tomorrow morning most of our guys will go back to Zhanaozen by train We will form a working group of five people and continue to deal with officials In the morning of April 12, a special train left the capital for a two-day This article was originally published in Russian. This is an edited version. A photoreportage from the protest in Astana is available at this link.