ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Dozens of leading political and rights activists gathered on the central square of Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, on January 5 to commemorate victims of mass protests one year ago that turned violent and left at least 238 people dead across the country, mostly in Almaty.
Some 50 men and women gathered next to the Independence monument, where they prayed on the first anniversary of the unrest and complained that investigations into the deadly events have taken too long, leaving many questions unanswered over protests that shocked the Central Asian nation.
The activists then read out a resolution demanding President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev, be held accountable for the bloodshed. They also said Toqaev must be impeached and called for Kazakhstan's departure from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Police could be seen monitoring the gathering, but did not interfere. However, RFE/RL correspondents reported from the site that Internet access was blocked in the area.
Meanwhile, dozens of relatives gathered near a memorial to the January 2020 victims, which was unveiled on December 23 in Almaty.
Local authorities, in an apparent move to prevent possible rallies, quickly took the relatives away by buses to the city's two major mosques, where they said special commemoration rituals would be held to honor the victims.
SEE ALSO: 'I Know Who Killed My Brother': One Year On, Families Of Kazakh Protesters Killed In State Crackdown Still Seeking JusticePolice detained at least three members of the unregistered opposition Democratic party, which announced the day before its plan to organize a mass gathering in Almaty in honor of the victims.
A peaceful protest in the tightly controlled country's western region of Manghystau on January 2 last year over a fuel-price hike escalated quickly into mass anti-government protests across the country that ended with deadly shootings in Almaty and elsewhere.
During the protests, Kazakh authorities switched off the Internet and restricted mobile phone operations for five days.
Toqaev blamed rights activists and independent journalists at the time for "inciting" the protests, which led to the arrest of several reporters in towns and cities across the country.
Toqaev said in the wake of the protests that "20,000 extremists trained in foreign terrorist camps" attacked Almaty, but he did not provide any evidence to support the claim.
As the unrest spread, Toqaev requested help from the CSTO.
Toqaev also publicly said then that he had ordered security forces "to shoot to kill without warning."
WATCH: A "shoot to kill" order against nationwide protests in Kazakhstan had many victims. On January 7, 2022, the family of 4-year-old Aikorkem says she lost her life when troops opened fire on the car she was traveling in.
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A Year Since Kazakhstan's 'Bloody January,' No Justice For 4-Year-Old Victim
Kazakh authorities have said that 232 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, were killed across the country, and six persons were tortured to death while in custody.
Human rights groups have demanded a thorough, international investigation of the unrest, providing evidence that there were peaceful demonstrators and persons who had nothing to do with the protests among those killed by law enforcement and military personnel.
Kazakh officials have rejected calls for an international investigation.