Kazakh Protesters Who Demanded Justice For Relatives Killed During January 2022 Unrest Fined

An Astana court has fined 10 protesters detained on January 15 near the president's office who were demanding justice for their relatives killed during anti-government protests in January 2022. At least 238 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, were killed across Kazakhstan during the mass unrest caused by the dispersal of the protests after President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev ordered security forces "to shoot to kill," claiming that "20,000 terrorists trained abroad" had taken over the country's largest city, Almaty. One of the protesters, Gulnur Qaraqasova, told RFE/RL that the court found the protesters guilty of violating regulations on holding public events and fined each of them 77,000 tenges ($170). Kazakh authorities have provided no evidence to back Toqaev's claim about foreign terrorists. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.