Amnesty International urges Kazakhstan to release detainees during protests

Amnesty International said those who did not commit internationally known crimes but were arbitrarily arrested for violating a controversial Kazakh law on public gatherings should also be released immediately.

Officials in Kazakhstan have said nearly 10,000 people have been arrested across the country in protests sparked by rising fuel prices, Radio Free Europe reports.

Amnesty International has also called on Kazakh authorities to conduct an independent investigation into all reported human rights violations during the protests, including cases in which police have been accused of using deadly weapons against peaceful protesters.

The exact number of protesters killed remains unknown, although Kazakh authorities have said at least 18 security officials were killed during the protests.

A channel in the Telegram, close to the Kazakh government, said on January 10 that 164 civilians had died during the protests, but the Ministry of Health later said that figure was incorrect.

“The silence of the authorities regarding the exact number of victims of the riots and the circumstances of how they died is scandalous. Information on civilian victims should be published immediatelySaid Marie Struthers, Director for Eastern and Central Europe at Amnesty International.

Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has blamed activists and independent journalists for “inciting protests”, which led to the arrest of several journalists in several cities across the country. Some journalists are still considered missing.

Earlier in the week, officials in Kazakhstan said the situation had calmed down. Following the riots, Toqaev sought troops from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization – but on January 13, about 2,000 troops began withdrawing from Kazakhstan. The troop withdrawal process is expected to be completed within ten days.

top channel