ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- A court in the Kazakh city of Almaty on March 19 extended the pretrial detentions of two opposition leaders for another month, until at least late April.
Vladimir Kozlov, leader of the unregistered opposition party Algha (Forward), and prominent opposition activist Serik Saparghali, were arrested in January by National Security Committee officers.
They were detained after they visited the southwestern town of Zhanaozen, where security forces shot dead at least 16 demonstrators in mid-December.
Kozlov and Saparghali were charged with inciting social hatred.
Both deny the charges, saying their cases are politically motivated attacks on opponents of the government of President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
Vladimir Kozlov, leader of the unregistered opposition party Algha (Forward), and prominent opposition activist Serik Saparghali, were arrested in January by National Security Committee officers.
They were detained after they visited the southwestern town of Zhanaozen, where security forces shot dead at least 16 demonstrators in mid-December.
Kozlov and Saparghali were charged with inciting social hatred.
Both deny the charges, saying their cases are politically motivated attacks on opponents of the government of President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
