12 Jun 2019 | 09:06 PM UTC
Kazakhstan: Authorities arrest 150 people in anti-Tokayev protests June 12 /update 2
Authorities arrest some 150 people in protests against newly elected President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev June 12; similar demonstrations possible over the coming days and weeks
Event
Kazakh authorities arrested some 150 people in protests against newly elected President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Wednesday, June 12. Most of those arrested were detained near a square cordoned off by security forces in central Almaty. The arrests follow another 700 made on Monday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 11, amid similar anti-Tokayev protests.
Related demonstrations are possible in Almaty and Nur-Sultan over the coming days and weeks amid a heightened security presence. Localized traffic disruptions are to be expected around protest sites.
Context
Political tensions are high in Kazakhstan after protests broke out on in Almaty and Nur-Sultan on June 9 to denounce the snap presidential elections called by interim President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Around 500 people were detained by the police during the demonstrations.
On March 19, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his resignation from the office of the presidency effective March 20. In a televised address on March 19, Nazarbayev, who will remain chair of the country's Security Council and the ruling Nur-Otan party, named speaker of the upper parliament chamber Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as interim president.
Advice
Individuals in Kazakhstan are advised to monitor developments, avoid all protests and demonstrations as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities and their home governments.
