Sacked oil workers in deadly clashes
- 12 years ago
PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
This was the moment a protest by sacked oil workers in western Kazakhstan boiled over into violence.
The first target was a concert stage set up for Independence Day celebrations in the oil town of Zhanaozen.
As the violence escalated everything from festive decorations to cars and buildings were fair game.
At least ten people have been killed and others wounded.
Some social networking sites said shooting was heard although the reports couldn't be independently verified.
The oil workers were among almost 1, 000 sacked after a three-month strike which hit output.
Kazakhstan's prosecutor-general called the violence 'mass disorder' and branded those involved as hooligans.
Officials at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights office said they were very concerned about the deaths.
They're urging Kazakh authorities to investigate promptly, and to ensure law enforcement authorities didn't use excessive force to maintain public order.
Paul Chapman, Reuters
This was the moment a protest by sacked oil workers in western Kazakhstan boiled over into violence.
The first target was a concert stage set up for Independence Day celebrations in the oil town of Zhanaozen.
As the violence escalated everything from festive decorations to cars and buildings were fair game.
At least ten people have been killed and others wounded.
Some social networking sites said shooting was heard although the reports couldn't be independently verified.
The oil workers were among almost 1, 000 sacked after a three-month strike which hit output.
Kazakhstan's prosecutor-general called the violence 'mass disorder' and branded those involved as hooligans.
Officials at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights office said they were very concerned about the deaths.
They're urging Kazakh authorities to investigate promptly, and to ensure law enforcement authorities didn't use excessive force to maintain public order.
Paul Chapman, Reuters