Kazakhstan – Other Aspect

AUCPB: WE SUPPORT THE HEROIC STRUGGLE OF THE KAZAKH WORKERS!

We are posting statement of support issued by the Central Committee of the AUCP (B). Other Aspect has disagreements on several issues with the politics of AUCP (B) and its leader Nina Andreeva. We are publishing this statement as it is in support of working class resistance and also it contains some important information on the events unfolding in Kazakhistan

Other Aspect

WE SUPPORT THE HEROIC STRUGGLE OF THE KAZAKH WORKERS!

Statement of the Central Committee of the
All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks

On December 16, 2011, on the day of the so-called “independence” of Kazakhstan, the ruling regime in Kazakhstan of Nursultan Nazarbayev, in Zhanaozen Mangistau (formerly Mangyshlak) region shot oil workers of enterprises “KazMunayGas” and supporters of their local residents at a peacful rally. Also punitive shots were fired during the night of 17 to 18 December in the village of Shetpe, where the striking oil workers and local residents blocked the rail line that connects the city of Aktau (formerly Shevchenko), with the rest of Kazakhstan.

According to the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan (leader – Ainur Kurmanov) and an independent trade union “Zhanartu” (“Revival”, the chairman of the Central Committee of trade union Esenbek Ukteshbaev), resulting in the massacre, the regime killed at least 70 people. Hundreds were wounded and missing. The police arrested protestors, then beat and tortured them in Nazarbayev’s jails by pouring cold water on their naked in the cold and, burned them with irons, as well as using other methods of torture, inheriting the atrocities of the Nazi executioners. They then tried to destroy the corpses of those killed and tortured to cover up the traces of their crimes.

The strike of oil workers’ Karazhanbasmunai “and production branch” Ozenmunaygaz “(part of the structure,” KMG “) began in May 2011 and lasted seven months. The workers demanded better working conditions and an end to the arbitrariness of employers, higher wages, freedom of trade union activities. That is, initially, their demands were not beyond the bourgeois law.

However, the authorities completely refused to meet the just demands of workers. Then began the persecution and murder of workers and trade unionists. Sentenced to 6 years in prison on far-fetched and utterly false pretences “for inciting social discord” filed by interim President “Karazhanbasmunai”, citizen of China Yuan Mu, condemned union lawyer Natalia Sokolova, who became the leader of the striking oil workers. Trade union activist Zhaksylyk Turban was murderered, and brutally murdered Zhansaule Karabalaeva, a daughter of a trade union leader of a transport company, and other comrades, trade union activists and labour movement activists.

In November, saw the creation of a single working committee to establish joint workers’ union and adopted a number of complaints and allegations by the workers of Kazakhstan with a call to work together and present a united front. The workers supported the decision Zhanaozen Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan to boycott the elections to the Majilis (lower chamber of Kazakh Parliament) to be held on January 15 this year. The rally was planned for December 16, at which he was to declare the need for a general political strike, demanding the resignation of the government and President Nazarbayev.

The authorities knew perfectly well about the upcoming rally and decided to drown it in the blood of the workers’ struggle for their rights.

This brutal crackdown on peaceful workers by Nazarbayev has put himself on a par with butcher Nicholas the Bloody, murderer Boris Yelstin and has also earned the infamous title of butcher of his own people – Nursultan the Bloody. They and the Chinese capitalists joint owners of “Karazhanbasmunai will not be able to not wash away the blood on their hands of Kazakh workers.”

Developments in Kazakhstan, once again confirm the validity of our findings that in the Politburo of the CPSU ripened the HQ of counter-revolution, which led to the temporary defeat of socialism in the USSR and the People’s Democracies, that under the guise of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” China under the leadership of the CPC has made a transition to the capitalist path of development, becoming over the years of market reforms, one of the major imperialist powers.

* * *
Over the 20 years of neoliberal reforms, Kazakhstan has turned into a typical country of peripheral capitalism with the commodity nature of the economy, brazen robbery and the sale of the richest mineral and natural resources, most severe exploitation of the working class and toiling masses of the country.

Kazakhstan has large oligarchic capital, led by President Nazarbayev, the billionaire and his son-in-law billionaire Timur Kulibayev (one of the owners, along with the Chinese corporation CITIC, «KMG”), his middle daughter, Dinara Kulibayev (wife of Timur Kulibayev, the only female billionaire from Central Asia), and others. The country is completely dominated by multinational corporations, including the increasing role played by Chinese companies.

The vast social inequality, mass unemployment, injustice and poverty were the main factors in long-term, increasing steadily, and assuming a political character, struggle of the working class, the working people of Kazakhstan for their rights.

After the massacre of oil workers in Western Kazakhstan, the struggle is beginning to move onto revolutionary tracks.

The struggling workers are no longer limiting their demands for the nationalization of enterprises and workers’ control. They are already calling for the formation of workers militias to maintain public order, the organization of the working class into a single class trade unions under the auspices of the trade union “Zhanartu”, to create a mass political party of working people in order to develop an effective program against the domination of capital, and for socialism.

Such party may be only a party built on a solid foundation of Marxism-Leninism, a revolutionary Leninist-Stalinist Bolshevik party without petty-bourgeois illusions, or the ideological and organizational influence of Trotskyism (Socialist Resistance is a section of Kazakhstan Trotskyist International Committee for Workers’ International), a party most closely associated with the struggle of the working class and all working people against the power of capital, for Soviet power and socialism, and in the vanguard of this struggle.

We grieve together with all working people of Kazakhstan for the victims and we are sure that the sacrifices will not be in vain. We support the demands of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan for the release from prison of Natalia Sokolova, an end to torture and mistreatment of detainees, for those responsible for the killings of innocent workers and local residents be held responsible, to reinstate all the dismissed strikers.

We have no doubt that the courageous struggle of Kazakh workers will set an example and give impetus to the struggle of working people in other republics for their liberation from exploitation and oppression.

We wish our Kazakh brothers heroic successes in the fight!

N.A. Andreeva General Secretary of the CC AUCPB

January 11, 2012, Leningrad

Chronology of world-wide actions of protests against the shooting of workers in Zhanaozen

The bloody events in the Mangistauski region on December 16th have triggered a wave of indignation worldwide. Soon after the news of the shooting made it to the outside world the diplomatic missions of Kazakhstan have faced actions of protests and solidarity with the ailing workers and peaceful residents.

On December 18th in Tel-Aviv a demonstration in solidarity with the oil workers of Kazakhstan took place in front of the embassy. The demonstration was organized by the workers union “Strength to the workers”, the Arab-Jewish social movement “Tarabut” and the movement “Socialist struggle”.

In Moscow the first demonstration of solidarity took place the evening of December 16th in front of the embassy of Kazakhstan. The comrades of the committee for a workers international put up a poster with the slogan “Now in Kazakhstan a peaceful demonstration of workers under strike is being attacked”. People passing by would stop and ask questions about the events in the country. Having learned about the events in the country people expressed their repudiation and discontent. Police officers in charge of security at the embassy would also express indignation. Later in the day people, mostly left activists, would come and leave flowers tied with black ribbons. On December 17th a second action of protest and solidarity with the workers of Kazakhstan took place in Moscow. Rank-and-file citizens organized via social networks showed up at the embassy of Kazakhstan to bring flowers in order to express their felt condolences with those workers and innocent civilians of Zhanaozen who lost their lives and to protest against the Kazak authorities. No embassy officials came out to communicate with the demonstrators.
Communists of the Leningrad committee of the Russian Communist Workers Party (RCWP), the left organization “Rot Front” (not officially registered as a political organization), and comrades from leftist organizations put together a picket line under the banner of the workers union “Zaschita”. The picket line was organized on December 17th in front of the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in the presence of a large police contingent. Diplomatic officials refused to communicate with the picket line. A statement addressed to the president and deputies of the Kazakh parliament with the demand to stop violent action against workers and an expression of solidarity with those who struggle against the dictatorship of Nazarbaev was read out in public and was attached to the gate of the Consulate General.

The evening of December 16th youth organizations of leftist orientation gathered at the embassy of Kazakhstan in Kiev. A demonstration took place to demand the immediate cessation of violent action against peaceful residents of Zhanaozen. Diplomatic officials of Kazakhstan thinking that those gathered convened to congratulate them with the “day of independence” came out to greet the demonstrators. When they understood the intent of the demonstration they run away back into the premises without being able to answer questions. Demonstrators laid flowers and attached to the gates of the diplomatic mission black ribbons and placards with slogans such as “Oil is not worth blood”, “Stop the shooting of peaceful civilians”,

“Authorities of Kazakhstan are killers”.

That same date and at the same time few tens of representatives of leftist organizations, including the association “Borotba”, left opposition forces RKAS, independent anarchists and others, came out to the Consulate of Kazakhstan in Odessa. In memory of fallen representatives of the working class, left activists brought flowers and a five-pointed star made out of candles, a symbol of international proletarian solidarity, was drawn under the walls of the diplomatic mission. The security service behaved aggressively, especially the official in charge, who physically harassed peaceful demonstrators and tried to confiscate the camera of a journalist. Nevertheless, the self-confidence of the leftist activists prevented further hostile action on the side of security forces. Few brief speeches took place protesting against the action of killers dressed in police form and with a emotional support of comrades in Kazakhstan.

On December 16th in the German town of Aachen an action of protest was organized by socialists and leftists to protest against the killing of oil workers and their supporters in Kazakhstan. Despite the heavy rain and low temperatures, residents of Aachen expressed strong interests towards the events in Kazakhstan and gave a strong signal against the actions of the Kazakh authorities.

In Dublin, Paul Murphy, a deputy at the Euro-parliament from the Socialist party of Ireland and other members of the same party organized a picket line in solidarity with the Kazakh workers under attack by the authorities. The picket line got a strong support from automobiles passing by.
In Sweden there is no Kazakh embassy. As a result, the Kazakh company “Telia” was the targeted by protesters. This is a former government-owned telecommunication company that controls 98% of the grid network for mobile telephones in Kazakhstan. In the evening of December 16th in the Swedish towns of Stockholm, Goteborg and Lulea activists of the Committee for workers international distributed leaflets. Many people passing by expressed solidarity and disgust by comparing the Kazakh regime with those taken down by revolutions in the Arab-speaking world. In addition to various actions of protest, the Socialist party of Equality contacted various newspapers and unions to inform them about the bloody events.

A group of members and sympathizers of the socialist party of Belgium together with assistants to the deputy of the Euro-parliament Paul Murphy, organized an action of protest at the embassy of Kazakhstan in Brussels. Members of the socialist party of England and Wales also protested in London in order to support the struggle of the oil workers.

On December 16th the “Socialist Alternative” in Germany organized an action of protest in front of the Kazakh embassy in Berlin. Few documents were handed to embassy officials. The most important among of the documents was a letter of protest signed by three members of the Bundestag and members of a leftist organization. Activists also handed to the deputy of the Kazakh ambassador a letter from “Socialist Alternative” and another form Kristina Lenert, a deputy of the city hall in Rostock. The embassy official accepted the letters after the police (which he himself contacted!) showed up.

In Austria two actions of protest against the policies of Kazak authorities were organized: One near the Kazak Consulate in Graz and another near the Consulate in Vienna. During the action in Graz by passers were outraged by the events in Kazakhstan and reacted warmly to the organizers of the protest. In Vienna a Consulate official met the protesters. A letter of protest was handed to him.
Other organizations around the world expressed their discontent with the violent actions inflicted on workers and residents of Zhanaozen: The Communist Party of Greece, the Greek union PAME, the Communist Party of Bielorussia, Poland and Azerbaijan, the Russian Congress of Soviets of workers, specialist and state officials, the All-Ukrainian strike committee and several other unions, the Kazak organization in Poland “Wspolnota Kazachska”, the Conference of unions of Russia, the World Federation of unions, the International Conference of Unions.
On December 20th-21st a new wave of protests followed in Germany. On December 20th the “Socialist Alternative” organized simultaneous protests in Cologne and Berlin. On December 21st in Hong Kong an action of protest was organized in front of the building of the Kazak Consulate. Activists promised to launch a program of protests near the buildings of corporations linked to the oil business in Kazakhstan. On that same day Russian activists organized another picket at the monument to Engels in Moscow. On December 23rd activists of Rot Front demonstrated in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Moscow. Since December 16th picket lines take place on a daily basis at the embassy of Kazakhstan. Citizens keep bringing flowers.

At this stage a new campaign of protest coordinated internationally is being discussed. The deputy of the Euro-parliament from the Socialist party of Ireland, Paul Murphy, has collected the support of 47 deputies of left orientation and has declared about the formation of an international commission to investigate the massive shooting of workers and peaceful civilians in Zhaoneze and the village of Shetpe on December 16th, 17th and 18th. Russian civil rights activists are now willing to organize support for the workers by initiating the collection of signatures addressed at the Russian authorities to put pressure on Astana (the capital of Kazakhstan. Note of translator). They are also willing to participate in the campaign of protest to free Natalia Sokolovaya, a union attorney currently in custody of the Kazak authorities.

The struggle and the actions of protest continue.

Distributed by Proletarskaya Gazeta, 25.12.2011.

Kazakhstan: The Massacre Continues

Authorities are trying to cover up the number of victims by burying bodies in the steppe

Workers activists are concerned that the authorities may be concealing the bodies of fallen comrades and innocent civilians, as had happened during the events of 1989. Then troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also shot civilians and hid the bodies in secret locations. Already then Nazarbaev was in power in the country, a member of the Central Committee of the Kazakhstan Communist Party, and oversaw the suppression of social unrest. Today history repeats itself; only this time the oil workers under strike and local civilians have become the victims. Now the main task of the newly formed Commission of Independent Unions and the opposition is not to allow the cover up of the true scale of the atrocities by the hands of the authorities.

: Victim of Authoritarianism courtesy:http://exiledonline.com/?s=Mark

How about the real number of victims? As of today (December 21st 2011, our note) there are serious grounds for concerns, as only in Zhanoezen hundreds of people are considered missing. These cannot be located by their relatives in hospitals, morgues, jails and police stations. The bodies of those who are known to have died in hospitals because of injuries are not given to the relatives; this can also be considered as an insult to those families, the majority of which observe Muslim traditions. Reports about fatalities, the injured and people missing continue to arrive from the village of Shetpe, where during the night of the 17th to the 18th workers and troops clashed. In the mean time original reports about 70 fatalities have been confirmed by the mass media, witnesses among the local workers, villagers and relatives.

During the evening of December 18th an activist from the Mangistaus region, K. Sholpan, was able to give us a call. She reported that about forty people with severe injuries from firearms are still in hospital. This number does not include people injured who have been released from hospital. That day her husband was supposed to undergo surgery to extract a bullet from a Kalashnikov stuck in his belly. During the course of December 16th and 17th the injured were taken to the regional hospital, which is located 120 kilometers away from the location where the violence took place. It was then when the local hospital and all medical establishments of Zhanaozen were overwhelmed by the injured, running out of medicines and other basic means to treat injuries.

According to her during the first half an hour of clashes in Zhanaozen 22 people were killed, one person died in the way to the hospital in Aktau, three young lads and a young female died of gunshot wounds near a supermarket. Three young workers and the mother of an oil worker died in her arms. Also an 11-year-old girl, whose head was severely damaged by a bullet was lying lifeless. Towards the evening of December 16th, when marines and troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs entered the area with heavy armour the number of victims had reached 70. The police and the military even shot people who did not participate in the protests. Workers and relatives moved a large fraction of the bodies from the central areas of the city to the outskirts when the shooting started.

During the evening of December 16th and all night of December 17th shooting spread to the suburbs and residential areas of Zhanaozen, where young workers tried to resist government troops. At that time the number of fatalities surpassed 100 people. Many people among those who participated in the clashes are missing. A Commission has been formed of representatives of the local independent workers union «Aktau», of representatives of opposition parties and social organisations. This Commission intends to collect data regarding the number of fatalities, missing, injured people and those who are currently under arrest. Relatives are planned to get together to compile a list of individuals affected by the violence. However, the authorities do not allow funerals. This raises serious concerns that the authorities are hiding the bodies of missing people.

Journalists of the independent and foreign press, civil rights advocates, members of the workers’ committee of oil workers and the union «Aktau» are putting together all available data, statements of witnesses, photographs, videos. There is a significant risk that members of the leadership of the independent union and activists of the Commission may become targets, since in the cities of Zhanaozen, Shetp and Zhetybae workers and individuals who participated in the gatherings and demonstrations are being arrested massively.

We will continue to oversee the situation and to convey it as widely as we can both in our country and internationally.

Press Service of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan. Circulated by ‘Proletarskaya Gazeta’, December 21st 2011.

Kazakhstan: Kazak Spring or Another Coloured ‘Revolt’ ?

In the energy rich Central Asian country Kazakhstan, that has been ruled by the first and only president Nursultan Nazarbayev as his personal fief, thousands of oilmen have taken to the streets in the town of Zhanaozen, South Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan was marking the 20th anniversary of its independence on Friday, December 16. Celebrations were planned throughout the country, but the public in Zhanaozen, consisting mostly of young men, began to shout slogans and shortly afterwards trashed the scene, beat up the guards and started large-scale riots. According to official reports, protesters badly beat two policemen at this early stage of the event. (http://rt.com/politics/mass-oil-independence-zhanaozen-987/)

The rioters then went on to set on fire the city hall and the local office of the KBM oil company. Troops rushed to the city opened fire and dispersed the rioters. The Kplus TV said the violence broke out when a police car rammed into a group of oil workers who were peacefully protesting in Zhanaozen’s central square. Hundreds of KBM workers were fired in May after they had struck for months demanding higher pay.

The situation in Zhanaozen is reported to be much more dramatic, according to the various reports in media and Russian blog sites, the police opened fire at protestors, killing 70 and wounding over 500 people. The authorities have deployed 1,500 marines to the town in bid to suppress the riot. Zhanaozen had one of the most serious ethnic clashes in late Soviet history. In 1989 (then called Novyi Uzen), the population comprised of equal parts of ethnic Kazakh and people from North Caucasus republics, primarily Chechens. Several ordinary conflicts at some point led to mass fights and then riots, and the authorities had to deploy army units and armored vehicles to the town to restore order. According to various reports, the 1989 events claimed up to 200 lives.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev has declared a 20-day state of emergency and a curfew in Zhanaozen.

On Saturday unrest spread to the town of Shetpe, where several hundred supporters of the striking oil workers blocked railway traffic and set a freight train on fire. Police said it some protesters also set a New Year tree on fire and smashed windows in town. Twelve people were wounded, one of them later died in hospital, when police opened fire on the rioters.

On Sunday protests spread to the regional capital Aktau, where hundreds gathered near the main square demanding that troops be pulled out of Zhanaozen. There were no reports of clashes with police in Aktau. (www.hindu.com)

According to Russia Today Website: It’s not yet clear if the riot has connection with a seven-month long protest of oil workers Zhanaozen. Hundreds of laid-off workers had been demonstrating in the city demanding that their former employer Ozenmuinagaz paid them risk money. The action was supported by some of their former colleagues, including those working for another company, who wanted their salaries raised.

Some reports say that the violence started because the protesters were disgusted with the planned celebration in the central square, where their camp had been since May, and tried to oust people setting up equipment there. This is confirmed by some videos on the internet and the interior minister also accuses the oil workers of being the main provocateurs of the riot. However organizers of the protest deny any connection with the looting and pillaging that followed.”