More than 4,000 people were detained during protests in Kazakhstan – Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan

More than 4,000 people were detained during protest actions in Kazakhstan, informs Kazakh edition Vlast.

According to Vlast, the largest number of arrests took place in the city of Almaty. Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan said that during the “cleansing” of the regions from “terrorists”, the activities of over 100 such persons were suppressed. The number of protesters killed has not yet been announced.

As the Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasized, the detainees face life imprisonment.

Earlier it was reported that during special operations in Kazakhstan more than 3 thousand people were detained, 18 more were wounded. President of the country Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that counter-terrorist operations in the country will be conducted “until the complete destruction of the militants.”

Rallies in Kazakhstan, caused by a sharp increase in prices for liquefied gas, began on January 2 in Zhanaozen, later the city residents were supported in many other settlements, including Almaty. In clashes with protesters, the security forces used gas, stun grenades, and small arms.

On the morning of January 5, the country’s president, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, dismissed the government and headed the republic’s Security Council, removing the first head of state, Nursultan Nazarbayev. In addition, the president stressed that the authorities will act as tough as possible in relation to offenders. On the same day, a state of emergency was introduced in the country for two weeks.

On the night of January 6, Tokayev held the first meeting of the Security Council under his leadership, at which he called the situation in Kazakhstan “undermining the integrity of the state” and said that he had asked the CSTO for help “in overcoming the terrorist threat.” On the same night, the CSTO Collective Security Council decided to send collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan in connection with Tokayev’s appeal. Russian military transport aviation is involved in the transfer of military personnel to Kazakhstan from the Russian Federation, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

The Insider monitors for what is happening in Kazakhstan online.