Kazakhstan says 5,800 detained in week of protests

MOSCOW – The bureau of Kazakhstan’s president said Sunday that astir 5,800 radical were detained by constabulary during protests that developed into unit past week and prompted a Russia-led subject confederation to nonstop troops to the country.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s bureau said Sunday that bid has stabilized successful the state and that authorities person regained power of administrative buildings that were occupied by protesters, immoderate of which were acceptable connected fire.

The Russian TV presumption Mir-24 said sporadic gunfire was heard successful Almaty, the country’s largest city, connected Sunday but it was unclear whether they were informing shots by instrumentality enforcement. Tokayev connected Friday said helium had authorized constabulary and the subject to sprout to termination to reconstruct order.

Almaty’s airport, which had been taken by protesters past week, remained closed but was expected to resume operating connected Monday.

Protests implicit a crisp emergence successful prices of LPG substance began successful the country’s westbound connected Jan. 2 and dispersed passim the country, seemingly reflecting discontent extending beyond the substance prices.

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The aforesaid enactment has ruled Kazakhstan since independency from the Soviet Union successful 1991. Any figures aspiring to reason the authorities person either been repressed, sidelined, oregon co-opted and fiscal hardship is wide contempt Kazakhstan's tremendous reserves of oil, earthy gas, uranium and minerals.

Tokayev contends the demonstrations were ignited by “terrorists” with overseas backing, though the protests person shown nary evident leaders oregon organization. The connection from his bureau connected Sunday said the detentions included “a sizable fig of overseas nationals,” but gave nary details.

It was unclear however galore of those detained remained successful custody connected Sunday.

The erstwhile caput of Kazakhstan’s counterintelligence and anti-terror bureau has been arrested connected charges of attempted authorities overthrow. The apprehension of Karim Masimov, which was announced Saturday, came conscionable days aft helium was removed arsenic caput of the National Security Committee by Tokayev.

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No details were fixed astir what Masimov was alleged to person done that would represent an attempted authorities overthrow. The National Security Committee, a successor to the Soviet-era KGB, is liable for counterintelligence, the borderline guards work and anti-terror activities.

Authorities accidental information forces killed 26 demonstrators successful this week’s unrest and that 16 law-enforcement officers died.

At Tokayev’s request, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-led subject confederation of six erstwhile Soviet states, authorized sending astir 2,500 mostly Russian troops to Kazakhstan arsenic peacekeepers.

Some of the unit is guarding authorities facilities successful the capital, Nur-Sultan, which “made it imaginable to merchandise portion of the forces of Kazakhstani instrumentality enforcement agencies and redeploy them to Almaty to enactment successful the counter-terrorist operation,” according to a connection from Tokayev’s office.

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In a motion that the demonstrations were much profoundly rooted than conscionable the substance terms rise, galore demonstrators shouted “Old antheral out,” a notation to Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was president from Kazakhstan’s independency until helium resigned successful 2019 and anointed Tokayev arsenic his successor.

Nazarbayev retained important powerfulness arsenic caput of the National Security Council. But Tokayev replaced him arsenic assembly caput amid this week’s unrest. perchance aiming astatine a concession to mollify protesters. However, Nazarbayev's advisor Aido Ukibay said Sunday that it was done astatine Nazarbayev's initiative, according to the Kazakh quality bureau KazTag.

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