After riots in the western Kazakh town of Zhanaozen claimed at least 13 lives, the city has experienced an uneasy calm after a heavy deployment of police. RFE/RL's Kazakh Service correspondent Kazis Toguzbaev traveled to Zhanaozen and the nearby Aktau on December 19.
Uneasy Kazakh Calm
![On the streets of Zhanaozen, a burnt-out banner featuring Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.](https://gdb.rferl.org/58301962-ba9d-4f7b-aa3f-7b0d49c5b48d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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On the streets of Zhanaozen, a burnt-out banner featuring Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
![Since the riots there has been a huge deployment of police and security forces to restore order. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/01e50cb2-d48e-4e14-b792-aa1017bf78d5_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Since the riots there has been a huge deployment of police and security forces to restore order.
![On the streets of Zhanaozen, police officers are carrying out random security checks.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9fb6d29f-eb3f-4852-a963-43d099777517_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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On the streets of Zhanaozen, police officers are carrying out random security checks.
![One Zhanaozen resident, Sandugash Amanzholova, says that she could not find her husband, who was detained by police on December 16. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/e5dee0fd-aaeb-47a4-bfbc-8672d97374b0_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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One Zhanaozen resident, Sandugash Amanzholova, says that she could not find her husband, who was detained by police on December 16.
![Casing from a shotgun pellet. The Kazakh authorities have said the police were left "with no choice but to shoot." ](https://gdb.rferl.org/df88014d-3251-43ca-837e-db4f7c973e92_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Casing from a shotgun pellet. The Kazakh authorities have said the police were left "with no choice but to shoot."
![This Zhanaozen resident says there is now no food in the stores. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/65ce322a-a727-45d5-992d-2b60b21652c8_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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This Zhanaozen resident says there is now no food in the stores.
![Much of the violence in Zhanaozen was focused on the city's central square. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/0cc8939e-3894-4fd2-ba1c-ca3843e6ed87_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Much of the violence in Zhanaozen was focused on the city's central square.
![Close to the central square in Aktau, a protesters' banner reads "Kazakhs, Wake Up!"](https://gdb.rferl.org/409c72ea-9996-4348-af60-cc575f251a4a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Close to the central square in Aktau, a protesters' banner reads "Kazakhs, Wake Up!"
![There has also been a heavy deployment of police in Aktau, where pro-strike rallies drew hundreds of people on December 18.](https://gdb.rferl.org/1e9fcda7-3ac9-4203-a2bc-84e5995993e9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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There has also been a heavy deployment of police in Aktau, where pro-strike rallies drew hundreds of people on December 18.
![These residents of Aktau were symapthetic with the oil workers' protests. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/2508d212-3ed6-4ab2-930f-c476cfc6e94d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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These residents of Aktau were symapthetic with the oil workers' protests.
![Protesters in Aktau present a list of their demands. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/8e4d28f9-3789-42cf-a020-d29063bc8ece_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Protesters in Aktau present a list of their demands.