Business

Kazakhstan arrests former national security chief on suspicion of treason


A man stands in front of the mayor’s office building, which was burned during protests over fuel price hikes in Almaty, Kazakhstan on January 6, 2022.

Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters

Authorities in Kazakhstan have arrested Karim Massimov, the former head of the national security committee, on suspicion of treason, the security commission said on Saturday.

Massimov, who was fired this week as protests raged across the Central Asian country, was arrested along with several other officials, the National Security Commission said in a statement. It did not name them or provide further details.

Reuters was unable to immediately contact Massimov.

Dozens of people have died and public buildings across Kazakhstan have been ransacked and burned the worst violence experienced by the former Soviet republic for 30 years of independence.

After days of violence, security forces appeared to have recaptured the streets of Kazakhstan’s main city on Friday. Russia-backed president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said he ordered his troops shoot to kill to quell a nationwide uprising.

At Tokayev’s invitation, a Russian-led military alliance was deployed at a time of tense East-West relations. Russia and the US are preparing for talks next week on the Ukraine crisis.

Massimov is considered by many to be a close ally of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev. He was twice prime minister and also served as head of the presidential administration under Nazarbayev.

Nazarbayev, 81, was the longest-serving ruler of a former Soviet state until he transferred the presidency to Tokayev in 2019. His family is widely believed to still retain influence in Nur- Sultan, the purpose-built capital that bears his name. .

.



Source link

news7g

News7g: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button