A court in Astana on August 8 handed a suspended five-year prison term to former Kazakh Interior Minister Erlan Turghymbaev, who pleaded guilty to a charge of abuse of office and power during nationwide antigovernment demonstrations in 2022 that turned deadly after police and security forces opened fire at protesters. The court also banned Turghymbaev from holding public office for 10 years. Several former top officials in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation were sentenced to lengthy prison terms following the January 2022 protests that left at least 238 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, dead. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Former Kazakh Minister Gets Suspended Sentence Over Deadly 2022 Unrest
Former Kazakh Interior Minister Erlan Turghymbaev (file photo)