Hundreds of people staged an unsanctioned demonstration in the center of Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, to honor the memory of those killed in last month's wave of unrest in the Central Asian nation.
The participants also called for President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev to be impeached and for former President Nursultan Nazarbaev to be tried for their roles in the repression of the protests.
RFE/RL correspondents on the ground estimated the number of participants at 500 to 600 people. Almaty authorities refused to grant permission for the protest.
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Kazakh Protesters Demand Justice For Crackdown Victims
Kazakh authorities say 227 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, were killed across the country after a peaceful demonstration in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation's western region of Manghystau on January 2 over a hike in fuel prices led to widespread anti-government protests.
Human rights groups say the number of those killed was much higher and have provided evidence proving there were peaceful demonstrators and persons who had nothing to do with the protests among those killed by law enforcement and military personnel.
Authorities say some 800 people were arrested over the unrest and that an investigation is under way. There are reports that those in custody have been tortured by the police.
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Kazakh Police Exhuming Bodies Of January Protest Victims Against Families' Wishes
Toqaev has said that "extremists trained in foreign terrorist camps" were behind the unrest. The unrest was quelled after Toqaev requested help from troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The protesters gathered in Almaty on February 13 also called for an end to the torture of those arrested and the resignation of the interior minister.
Relatives of those killed, wounded, or detained during the riots spoke in public on February 13.
The Internet was switched off in the center of Almaty on February 13, RFE/RL reported.
In a video message to mark the 40 days that have passed since the start of the unrest, Toqaev again blamed the violence on "terrorists," without presenting any proof.