Eleven years ago, on December 16, 2011, the bloodiest page in the history of independent Kazakhstan was written. A months-long strike by oil workers in Zhanaozen ended when police shot the unarmed strikers in the city’s central square. For another three days, the police and the army terrorized the local population.

In this documentary film, Just Journalism has reconstructed the chronology of those tragic days. Oil workers who survived the massacres, relatives of the victims, local residents, eyewitnesses, and people who were directly involved in the events in Zhanaozen in December 2011 talk about the fear and hatred that have settled on this city in western Kazakhstan since then.

The film features unique footage and eyewitness testimony.

00:00 – 12/16/11

01:29 – Chapter I. “STRIKE UNTIL YOU’RE BLUE IN THE FACE”

26:18 – Chapter II. “WE THOUGHT THEY WERE SHOOTING BLANKS”

46:05 – Chapter III. “THEY LET HIM GO BECAUSE THEY KNEW HE WAS GOING TO DIE”

01:23:23 – Chapter IV. “HE WENT OVER TO THE PEOPLE’S SIDE”

01:34:22 – EPILOGUE

01:56:14 – End Titles and Credits

Just Journalism is a nonprofit project by the journalists Lukpan Akhmedyarov and Raul Uporov. They strive to answer not only the questions who, what, where, and when, but above all the questions, Why is this happening? What does it mean?

Just Journalism is a nonprofit project. There are no advertisements, promotions, or product placements in our videos, which you can watch for free. If you want to support us you can do so by donating money over the phone on +7 775 570 59 20 or to Kaspi Gold card number 4400 4301 0175 8271.

In Kazakh and Russian. Translation from the Russian and English subtitles by Thomas H. Campbell