Kazakh activist Marat Abiev has been placed in pretrial detention for two months after serving a 15-day jail term for organizing an unsanctioned protest rally on November 26, the day of President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's inauguration. The Astana City Court on December 14 did not specify what charges Abiev faced. Toqaev was reelected in an election held on November 20. A monitoring mission by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said after the election that the election lacked "competitiveness." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Kazakh Activist Detained After 15 Days In Jail For Organizing Rally
Protesters in Astana walk toward the city center on November 23, only to be stopped by police.