Kazakhstan says 164 killed in week of protests
Source: AP
By JIM HEINTZ
MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s health ministry said Sunday that 164 people have been killed in protests that have rocked the country over the past week.
The figures reported on the state news channel Khabar-24 are a significant rise from previous tallies. It is not clear if the deaths refer only to civilians or if law-enforcement deaths are included. Kazakh authorities said earlier Sunday that 16 police or national guard had been killed. Authorities previously gave the civilian death toll as 26.
Most of the deaths — 103 — were in Almaty, the country’s largest city, where demonstrators seized government buildings and set some afire, according to the ministry. the country’s ombudswoman for children’s rights said that three of those killed were minors, including a 4-year-old girl.
The ministry earlier reported more than 2,200 people sought treatment for injuries from the protests, and the Interior Ministry said about 1,300 security officers were injured.
An armed riot police officer detains a protester during a security anti-terrorists operation in a street after clashes in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. Kazakhstan's president authorized security forces on Friday to shoot to kill those participating in unrest, opening the door for a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on anti-government protests that have turned violent. The Central Asian nation this week experienced its worst street protests since gaining independence from the Soviet Union three decades ago, and dozens have been killed in the tumult. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-kazakhstan-almaty-e8041ebee995d41050e6919ea0cdca64
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