[ad_1]
Almaty-Kazakhstan officials have detained Karim Massimov, a former chairman of the National Security Commission, on suspicion of treason, the Security Commission said Saturday.
The National Security Commission said in a statement that Masimov, who was dismissed this week due to intensified protests across Central Asian countries, was detained along with several other officials. I didn’t name them or provide details.
Reuters could not contact Masimov immediately.
Dozens of people were killed and public buildings across Kazakhstan were looted and burned in the worst violence experienced by the former Soviet Republic in 30 years of independence.
After several days of violence, security forces seemed to have regained the streets of major cities in Kazakhstan by Friday. Russian-backed president Kassym-Jomart Tokaev said he ordered his troops to shoot to kill him to quell the national uprising.
At the invitation of Tokaev, a Russian-led military alliance was developed during times of heightened tensions between East and West relations. Russia and the United States are preparing for negotiations on the Ukraine crisis next week.
Masimov is widely seen as a close ally of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He served as prime minister twice and also headed the presidential administration under Nazarbayev’s administration.
Nazarbayev, 81, was the longest-serving ruler of the former Soviet state until he took over the president to Tokaev in 2019. It is widely believed that his family retains influence in Nur-Sultan, the dedicated capital that bears his name. ..
By Olzhas Auyezov, Andrey Ostroukh, Robin Paxton
follow
[ad_2]