by Cain Burdeau
January 10, 2022
https://www.courthousenews.com/kazakhst ... in-geneva/
Introduction:
(Courthouse News) — American and Russian diplomats on Monday began a week of high-stakes talks to defuse tensions between NATO and Moscow and avert a major war in Europe.
Last week's bloody uprising in Kazakhstan hangs over the talks and makes for a lethal reminder of just how dangerous of an economic, social and geopolitical cocktail Russia and other former Soviet states have become and shows the potential for the world's great powers – China, Russia, the United States and the European Union – to stumble into catastrophic conflict.
By Monday, the death toll from the mass protests and riots against the authoritarian Kazakhstan regime rose to 164 civilians, according to news reports and health officials. Sixteen police officers were killed and more than 1,300 others were injured, the Russian news agency Tass reported. More than 1,000 civilians were injured too.
The uprising took place in Almaty, the country's largest city close to the Chinese border, and in other cities, causing extensive destruction. The government said 1,270 businesses were damaged, more than 100 shopping malls and banks were looted and about 500 police cars were burned. Key administrative buildings, including a presidential palace and mayor's office in Almaty, were burned.
As Russian and American diplomats sat down for talks in Geneva to rekindle mechanisms for cooperation and understanding, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared the violence the result of a coup d'etat attempt and Russian President Vladimir Putin indirectly accused the U.S. of being behind the unrest.