ASTANA -- Kazakhstan's former defense minister, Murat Bektanov, who was detained after unprecedented anti-government protests that turned into deadly unrest in January 2022, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
State-run media reported on March 9 that a court in the capital, Astana, sentenced Bektanov on February 24 after finding him guilty of abuse of office. According to the reports, the trial was held behind closed doors and the information about Bektanov's verdict and sentence was not made public earlier due to classified materials in the case.
Bektanov was arrested in mid-February last year and initially charged with failing to act during the unrest that shook the energy-rich Central Asian nation in early January 2022. The charge was later changed to abuse of office.
At least 238 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, were killed during the unrest. Domestic and international human rights organizations have urged Kazakh authorities to thoroughly investigate the deaths and reports about severe beating and torture of demonstrators by police.
SEE ALSO: Rights Watchdog Urges Kazakhstan To Guarantee Better Protection For Women In Fresh LegislationPresident Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev dismissed Bektanov on January 19, 2022, the same day the Kazakh parliament joined Toqaev's push to deprive influential former President Nursultan Nazarbaev of his lifetime posts atop the Kazakh Security Council and the Assembly of Kazakhstan's People.
Protests in the remote town of Zhanaozen early last year over a sudden fuel-price hike quickly spread across Kazakhstan and led to violent clashes in the country's largest city, Almaty, and elsewhere.
After announcing his resignation in March 2019 and leaving Toqaev in his stead, Nazarbaev retained large political influence in the tightly controlled nation with almost limitless powers.
Much of the public anger in the unrest appeared to be directed at Nazarbaev.
The crisis prompted Toqaev to seek help from troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to quell the unrest.
Toqaev's moves since then appear aimed at ousting Nazarbaev relatives and allies.