Law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan opened 1,822 criminal cases on facts of terrorism, murders and violence against government officials, said the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic Yerlan Turgumbaev.
“Minister of Internal Affairs Yerlan Turgumbayev reported to the President on the progress of the operational and preventive measures “Law and Order” in all regions of the country. The seizure of weapons illegally kept by the population continues. According to the agency, a total of 1,822 criminal cases have been initiated on facts of terrorism, murders, violence against government officials, hooliganism, attacks on government buildings and other crimes, 116 of them have been transferred to special prosecutors,” Turgumbayev said during a meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym – Zhomart Tokayev, TASS reports.
According to the Minister of Internal Affairs, at present, individual units of the armed forces continue to carry out tasks to ensure law and order in regions with a “red” level of terrorist threat, together with internal affairs agencies. Warehouses of weapons and ammunition, as well as military facilities are under heavy guard.
Protest actions in Kazakhstan began in the first days of January. Residents of some cities went to rallies, demanding lower prices for petroleum gas. After the authorities announced their readiness to comply with the demands of the protesters and reduce fuel prices, the protests did not stop, but continued with renewed vigor in other cities of the country.
By decision of the CSTO Collective Security Council on January 6, a peacekeeping contingent of the organization was sent to Kazakhstan to help resolve the situation. The group included units of the armed forces of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the measures taken by the CSTO peacekeeping mission did not allow a color revolution to occur in Kazakhstan.