The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office said on May 3 that a court in Astana had ruled that former Interior Minister Erlan Turghymbaev, who was detained this week on a charge of abuse of office and power, must stay in pretrial detention for at least two months. Turghymbaev's detention is linked to nationwide anti-government demonstrations in 2022 that turned deadly after police and security forces opened fire at protesters. Several former top officials in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation were sentenced to lengthy prison terms following the 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 Interior Minister Sent To Pretrial Detention Over Deadly 2022 Unrest
Former Kazakh Interior Minister Erlan Turghymbaev (file photo)