On January 15, police in the Kazakh capital, Astana, detained about a dozen protesters who approached the presidential office demanding justice for their relatives who were 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. The authorities have provided no evidence proving Toqaev's claim about foreign terrorists. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Kazakh Protesters Demanding Justice For Relatives Killed During January 2022 Unrest Detained
Kazakh security officers line up in Astana to block the path of protesters who wanted to head to the city's presidential office to protest the deaths of relatives killed during unrest in January 2022.