Mikheil Saakashvili: I welcome the struggle for freedom of Kazakh people

Mikheil Saakashvili expressed support for protesters in Kazakhstan

The third President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili commented one the ongoing events in Kazakhstan and expressed his support to the Kazakh people.

“This is a clear example that shows that no matter how much the regime represses, no matter how many people it captures, no matter how many special forces it deploys, the main force is the freedom-loving people”, Saakashvili said.

According to him, people do not tolerate corruption, social injustice and informal governance:

“A large group of Kazakh opposition members came to Kiev with me last September and I already talked to them and realized that civil society was ready for change”.

Saakashvili said Nazarbayev, unlike Ivanishvili, had done quite a lot for Kazakhstan, but that did not give him the right to turn the country into private property and rule informally, from the shadows, in luxury.

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It is known that the protest, which covered several large cities in Kazakhstan, started because of the increase in gas prices. But the government’s approval of the price reduction and the government’s resignation did not de-escalate the situation. Clashes between protesters and police continue. At the same time, significant changes are taking place in the governance of the country.

According to the Almaty commandant, on the night of January 5, 120 vehicles were burnt in the city, including police and ambulance vehicles, 120 shops and booths and 180 food outlets were destroyed, and 500 civilians were injured. Videos of civilians being disarmed by police and soldiers have appeared on the Internet.

It became known today from the command of the city of Almaty that the Kazakh authorities are conducting an “special anti-terrorist operation” in the city.

According to Kazakh media, President Tokayev recently appealed to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, for help in “protecting the country from the threat of a terrorist attack”.