Jeltoqsan

The Jeltoqsan (Kazakh: Желтоқсан көтерілісі), also spelled Zheltoksan, or December of 1986 were protests that happened in Almaty, Kazakh SSR, when Mikhail Gorbachev replaced Dinmukhamed Kunaev to Gennady Kolbin, a Russian who never lived in Kazakhstan, as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan.

Jeltoqsan Kazakh: Желтоқсан көтерілісі
Part of Revolutions of 1989 and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Fragment of the monument to the Independence of Kazakhstan
Date 16–19 December 1986 Location Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union Result Protests suppressed; massive casualties after clashes
Belligerents
Kazakh protesters	Soviet Union OMON KGB
Commanders and leaders
No organized leadership	Mikhail Gorbachev Gennady Kolbin
Casualties and losses
168–1,000 civilians killed More than 200 injured

The protests happened from 16 to 19 January 1986. The protests started in the morning of 17 December, as a student march. The government sent troops, and violence broke out. In the following days, protests spread to Shymkent, Taldykorgan, and Karaganda.

Protests

A location of Republic Square, formerly known as Brezhnev Square, where the protests broke out

A reason for a students started protests, in the early morning of 17 December, was a Dinmukhamed Kunaev, was going replaced by Gennady Kolbin, a Russian who never lived in Kazakhstan, as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan.

In his book, Gorbachev says that he talked with Kunaev about Kunaev's retirement. Kunaev wanted someone new, not linked to the Kazakh Communist Party, to replace him, hoping to block Nursultan Nazarbayev's rise in the party. But Kunaev claims in his book that Gorbachev did not discuss the replacement and only said "a good comrade will be sent".

People who saw the rioters said the troublemakers got alcohol, drugs, and pamphlets, saying the riot was not random. They did not think it was about nationalism or independence but rather a protest against Gorbachev appointing an outsider to lead the state.

In response, the CPK Central Committee told various forces like police and volunteers to surround the square and record the people there. At 5 p.m. when troops were told to break up the protesters. Fighting between the security forces and the protestors went on all night in the square and other parts of Almaty.

On the second day, protests grew into serious fights in the streets and schools. Troops, volunteers, and local forces clashed with Kazakh students, leading to a big armed conflict. Things calmed down only on the third day. After Almaty, there were smaller protests in other cities like Shymkent, Pavlodar, Karaganda, and Taldykorgan.

Estimates of protesters

Different reports give different numbers of protesters.

Moscow initially said around 200 people were in the riots, but the Kazakh authorities later thought it was about 3,000. Other estimates range from 30,000 to 40,000 protesters, with 5,000 arrested and some people hurt. Jeltoqsan leaders claim more than 60,000 Kazakhs took part in protests across the country.

Loss of life

the Kazakh SSR government reported that there are 2 deaths, including a volunteer police worker and a student, both from head injuries. Around 100 people were arrested and sent to labor camps. However, the United States Library of Congress said that the death toll was higher, possibly over 200, with some estimates reaching over 1,000. The writer Mukhtar Shakhanov said that a KGB officer's testimony about 168 killed protesters. Kazakh students Kayrat Ryskulbekov and Lazat Asanova were among those who died.

Separation from the USSR

In the March 1991 referendum, Kazakhstan voted strongly to reform the Union Treaty, with 94.1% in favor, and 89.2% of the population participating.

On 18 September 2006, the Dawn of Liberty monument, marking the 20th anniversary of Jeltoqsan, was unveiled in Almaty. Jeltoqsan is now seen as a symbol of Kazakhstan's fight for independence. The monument represents the clash of past and future, the breaking of ideological barriers, and the triumph of liberty and independence.

In culture

• The movie "Allahzhar" by Kaldybay Abenov, released in 1996, is about these events.
• The movie "Running target" starring Nonna Mordyukova, also tells a story about these events.
• "That's How the Stars Aligned", the fifth movie in the "The Leader's Path" series about President Nursultan Nazarbayev and includes these events.
• The song "New Patriotic" by the band "Grazhdanskaya Oborona" said the Jeltoqsan protests with the lyrics "We are not afraid of Alma-Ata and the events in Poland".
• The song "We're all at the end" by the band "Instruktsiya po Vyzhivaniyu", from the album "Defense Instructions", is about the events in Alma-Ata.
• Two Kazakh songs, "Jeltoqsan jeli" and "Black Liver", are also about these events.