Message of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the people of Kazakhstan

Dear compatriots!

Dear friends!

Today's Message is of particular importance. Its content and scope go beyond one year.

We set ambitious goals for ourselves.

Together we started building a New Kazakhstan.

Last year, our country reached an important milestone – the 30th anniversary of Independence. By historical standards, this is a small period.

 

Under the leadership of the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, we have come a long way, achieved significant success, but we can lose everything if we do not maintain unity. The upheavals of the beginning of the year have clearly confirmed this.

 

The January events stirred up society. Our people faced an unprecedented challenge when the integrity of the country was under threat. These days we have deeply realized the enduring value of Independence, realized how important peace, stability and harmony are.

 

Thanks to unity, we defended our state. Timely measures were taken and the terrorists were decisively repulsed.

 

I have never hidden anything from citizens. During the pandemic, he openly talked about all the problems. During the days of the "Tragic January", he made several appeals to the people, in which he spoke in detail about the situation.

 

Each of my decisions was made based on the interests of the country. And this approach is unshakable for me.

 

Unfortunately, during the January events, many of our compatriots died due to the criminal actions of radicals and terrorists. Once again, I express my deep condolences to their families and friends. We will do everything possible to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.

 

It is our duty to bring to justice all the bandits and terrorists involved in these bloody crimes. We must learn important lessons from the events of January.

 

We must no longer allow the peace and tranquility in our country to be violated, its security to be jeopardized.

 

To be honest, now there are various rumors and speculations in society that mislead people and form a false picture of events. Therefore, it is extremely important to publish reliable information and give an objective assessment. We must do everything so that the people understand the reasons for what happened.

 

Just yesterday, special hearings were held in Parliament, at which law enforcement agencies presented a full report on the results of the investigation. We have never had such a broad discussion.

 

Deputies and journalists received open answers to questions of concern to society. This suggests that the authorities are primarily interested in a fair assessment of the January events. And I fully share this approach. We must tell the truth – this is my principled position.

 

Investigative measures carried out by the Interdepartmental Investigative Task Force are still underway. I instruct law enforcement agencies to publish the results of their work on an ongoing basis.

During the events of the "Tragic January" and the subsequent state of emergency, about two thousand people were detained for various offenses. Then I instructed the Prosecutor General's Office to establish the degree of their guilt, and in the absence of aggravating circumstances to mitigate the punishment of the detained persons. As a result, many citizens were released.

 

At the same time, persons who have committed serious crimes will fully answer before the law. To act differently, to meet the screamers, provocateurs, populists, means to betray the memory of the innocent victims.

 

Criminal cases have been initiated against several hundred people. We have recognized the facts when law enforcement officers used prohibited methods of inquiry and even torture against detainees. Such barbaric manifestations of the Middle Ages contradict the principles of any progressive society. They are unacceptable to us as well.

 

As soon as the first reports of such cases appeared, I was instructed to thoroughly investigate them.

 

In addition, the Commissioner for Human Rights joined the active work almost from the first days. A group of human rights defenders, members of the National Council of Public Trust freely visited the detention centers, got acquainted with the conditions of detention of participants in the January events, considered their complaints.

 

The Ombudsman, independent public commissions headed by reputable lawyers closely interacted with the prosecutor's office, openly expressed and defended their positions.

 

Such work showed the transparency and democracy of the investigative process, allowed each appeal, each complaint to be approached individually. As a result, it was possible to significantly reduce the risks of wrongful sentences.

 

Such a practice of open cooperation between civil society and authorized bodies should, in my opinion, be firmly rooted in our country. I would like to take this opportunity to thank public figures and lawyers for their active position and professionalism.

 

Preliminary results of the investigation are already ready. It is known for sure that the conspirators tried to seize power. The question arises, what prompted them to take such a step? The answer is obvious.

 

In recent years, Kazakhstan has embarked on the path of radical modernization and transformation. Large-scale transformations have begun in various spheres. Some influential people did not like it. They expected to continue their long-term illegal activities. Moreover, they were eager to gain power.

 

The conspirators formed an underground group of professional mercenaries, armed bandits and traitors from among the officials. Internal and external enemies of our state have united to seize power. They directed peaceful protests in a destructive direction, used the people for their criminal purposes.

 

The terrorists attacked government buildings, strategic infrastructure and business facilities. They shot at civilians to blame the authorities for this. Foreign radical forces tried to use this situation. They wanted to turn Kazakhstan into a hot spot, tear apart our country, destroy peaceful life, overthrow the President. It was an unprecedented challenge to our statehood.

 

However, their criminal plans failed.

I openly declared then: no matter what happens, I will always be with my people.

 

No wonder people say "Ishten shykkan zhau zhaman" ("There is no worse enemy than a traitor"). Among those who tried to carry out the coup, there were famous people who held high positions. These are state traitors.

 

Among the traitors are the leaders of the military and special bodies who prevented the law enforcement agencies from taking legal actions, misinformed the country's leadership about the situation in the cities, took control of government and other communication channels.

 

In a word, they have taken all possible ways to destabilize the country. As a result, we were forced to ask for help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

 

We took this step in accordance with all domestic and international standards. The peacekeeping forces did not fire a single shot in our country, they only guarded strategic facilities. All this was clearly discussed.

 

Two weeks later, after the situation normalized, the peacekeeping contingent was completely withdrawn from Kazakhstan. The CSTO is a collective organization in which our country is also a member.

 

The important role of the peacekeeping mission cannot be underestimated, but, ultimately, we defeated the bandits on our own.

 

In this regard, I would like to focus on the following issue separately. The betrayal of the conspirators should not tarnish the reputation of law enforcement agencies.

 

Our compatriots, our brothers serve in them. They proved that they stand on the side of the people and are ready to fight to the last for the sake of their Homeland. They remained faithful to the oath, selflessly defending the state. I express my gratitude to the guards who courageously resisted the threat at a critical moment.

 

At the same time, many of our citizens voluntarily formed self-defense detachments, thereby participating in the protection of public order. I thank everyone who showed courage, unity and solidarity at a crucial moment.

 

These days our people have demonstrated their unity and readiness to overcome any challenges. Thanks to patriotism, we have preserved our sacred Independence.

 

The January events were the biggest test for our statehood. We were standing on the very edge of the abyss. If we made one wrong step, we could lose our state.

 

The investigation into the conspiracy of the security forces and their accomplices continues at an intensive pace, in secrecy.

 

There is a lot of work ahead with witnesses, conducting examinations, studying various data.

 

One thing I can say: a large-scale, detailed operation took place, the purpose of which was to displace the top leadership, discredit it in the eyes of the people and the foreign public.

 

To achieve this goal, the conspirators did not hesitate to use professionally trained militants, who were tasked with sowing chaos in Almaty, our largest city, instilling fear in people, making them believe in the fatality of the outcome of events, destabilizing the situation in the country.

 

Therefore, I assure you that all those responsible for these tragic events will be punished, no matter what positions and positions they occupy in society.

 

In those days, there was no choice but to take tough and decisive measures. At the most crucial moment, I did everything in my power for the country. This is my duty as President and as a citizen.