Statement of the Central Committee of the PCB-CPB in solidarity with the popular workers' movement in Kazakhstan, the Socialist Movement and the Communist Party of Kazakhstan

The Communist Party of Belgium expresses its solidarity with the popular workers' movement, the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan and the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, which have been demonstrating for several days against misery, unemployment, the increase in the cost of living and anti-popular and anti-union laws, and are facing brutal repression from the regime and the Kazakh bourgeoisie. The latter has ruled this former Soviet republic in Central Asia with an iron fist since the restoration of capitalism in 1991 and the collapse of the Soviet Union. We support the struggle of the Kazakh popular workers' movement which has been fighting for many years against this national oligarchy which has been able to maintain itself by relying on the inter-imperialist contradictions whichs eek to control the rich natural resources of the country which is already totally open to Western imperialism. Thus, the European Union is already the first economic partner of Kazakhstan and a new cooperation agreement wassigned last May in Brussels between the two parties. Moreover, US capital is well established with nearly 700 companies in the country. Oil is already largely exploited by US companiessuch as Chevron and ExxonMobil. It isprecisely in thesecompaniesthat the strugglesled by workers in the energy sector (oil and gas) for the nationalisation of the sector under workers' control began. These struggles are not new. Ten years ago, the workers had already suffered repression during strikes in the oil sector by the regime, which opposes all workers' demands and communists. Since 2015 the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, a member of SolidNet, has been banned and the regime refuses the legalisation of the SocialistMovement of Kazakhstan, which isalso a member of the World Conference of Communist and Workers' Parties.

Today, the repression has gone a step further in the will to crush the movement and repress the demonstrators. The government has called on Russia, which will send its army under a military agreement. The puppet president who succeeded the oligarch Nursultan Nusurbayev has also called for direct fire on the protesters.

We support the popular movement in its demands, and against any attempt by imperialist forces to deploy their pawns in the inter-imperialist contradictions. We warn of the danger of war which cannot be ruled out.

We condemn the repression against the popular workers' movement in Kazakhstan.

We demand freedom for political prisoners and legalisation for the Communist Party of Kazakhstan and the socialist movement of Kazakhstan and for the trade unions.

We condemn the repression against the comrades of the Communist Workers' Party of Russia arrested for supporting the demonstrators in Kazakhstan. We call for theirimmeadite release.

9th of January 2022

Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belgium (PCB-CPB)