The law enforcement bodies of Kazakhstan have detained more than 1,200 people for participating in terror attacks, marauding and other crimes committed during last week’s unrest, the military commandant’s office said on Tuesday.
“Overall, 1,237 participants of terror attacks, marauding and other crimes have been detained, 31 firearms and 1,428 ammunition items have been seized,” the statement says.
Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with government buildings getting ransacked in several cities a few days later. The ensuing violence left scores of people injured, with fatalities also being reported. Subsequently, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) requesting assistance from the Russia-led bloc. As a result, peacekeepers have already been deployed to Kazakhstan. Law and order, Kazakh authorities affirm, was restored to all of the country’s regions by the morning of January 7.
