On 16 December at least 16 people were killed and hundreds more injured in Kazakhstan when the Nazarbayev regime ordered the use of troops and police against unarmed striking oil workers and their supporters who were protesting in a city square. Independent video footage shows police firing on protesters running from the square. A State of Emergency was announced following the violence, which banned further protests and strikes and imposed curfews. The State of Emergency has now been lifted. While 4 police officers have been charged over their role in the killings, more than 100 workers and activists have been detained. The oil workers have been on strike since May 2011. Among their demands are the right to a genuine, independent trade union free from employer interference; increased pay; improved conditions; and the nationalisation of the oil sector. Information to support of the oil workers union here and here.
On 16 December at least 16 people were killed and hundreds more injured in Kazakhstan when the Nazarbayev regime ordered the use of troops and police against unarmed striking oil workers and their supporters who were protesting in a city square. Independent video footage shows police firing on protesters running from the square. A State of Emergency was announced following the violence, which banned further protests and strikes and imposed curfews. The State of Emergency has now been lifted. While 4 police officers have been charged over their role in the killings, more than 100 workers and activists have been detained. The oil workers have been on strike since May 2011. Among their demands are the right to a genuine, independent trade union free from employer interference; increased pay; improved conditions; and the nationalisation of the oil sector. Information to support of the oil workers union here and here.
