Kazakh prosecutors detain 9 law enforcement officers in connection with January unrest

Kazakhstan's General Prosecutor's Office on Monday said it has detained nine law enforcement officers on allegations of unlawful methods of investigation related to the mass riots in January.

"As of today, 203 criminal cases of torture and abuse of power have been filed, with the most high-profile of them being investigated by special prosecutors. During the pre-trial procedure, nine employees suspected of using unlawful methods of investigation against detainees were identified and detained," Serik Shalabaev, Head of the Criminal Prosecution Service of the General Prosecutor's Office said, as cited in the statement.

Shalabaev went on to say that crime scene investigation teams are conducting a probe into 3,502 criminal cases on acts of terrorism, murders, theft of weapons and mass riots, with 737 individuals being held in pre-trial detention centers on suspicion of committing the crimes, according to the statement.

Earlier in January, mass protests swept across Kazakhstan after a twofold increase in gas prices. Despite the government's attempts to quell discontent and promises to bring prices down, protests turned violent and descended into deadly clashes with police in several regions. According to the general prosecutor's office, 4,578 people were injured and 225 people, including 19 security officials, were killed.

On January 5, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed the government. He described the situation in Kazakhstan as undermining the country's integrity and asked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to help in overcoming what he called the "terrorist threat." CSTO peacekeepers were briefly sent to Kazakhstan to normalize the situation. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

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