The bodies of 225 individuals, killed in the unrest in Kazakhstan last week, including 19 security forces members, were delivered to morgues across the nation on Saturday, the prosecutor general’s office announced.
The civilians and armed “bandits” slain by security forces were included in the numbers provided by Serik Shalabayev, the chief of criminal prosecution at the prosecutor’s office
After a spike in car fuel costs, violent protests erupted in the oil-producing Central Asian state this month.
The death toll, according to Shalabayev, was the highest in the country’s post-Soviet history.
50,000 people, according to Shalabayev, took part in the riots that erupted across the former Soviet republic on January 5, when crowds rushed and set fire to government buildings, cars, banks and businesses in numerous major cities.
During the upheaval, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev resorted to a Russian-led military bloc for assistance, and by taking over the national security council, he pushed out his erstwhile patron and predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Following reports of beatings and torture of individuals seized in the aftermath, Tokayev issued an order on Saturday ordering police to refrain from such acts and prosecutors to be merciful with those who have not committed serious crimes.
Post Your Comments