Almaty: Former Interior Minister Kareem Massimov has been arrested in Kazakhstan on treason charges in a bid to quell unrest in the wake of rising fuel prices and the ensuing violence. This was announced by the National Security Committee (KNB). Kareem has been charged with plotting to overthrow the government by deliberately manipulating protesters. Kareem, a two-time former prime minister of Kazakhstan, was fired as security chief during the uprising. Kareem, a close ally of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, was arrested on Thursday. Nazarbayev was fired as head of the Security Council on Wednesday amid public outrage. Protesters have blamed Nazarbayev’s illegal intervention for doubling fuel prices. Protesters then smashed a huge statue of Nazarbayev in the city center. However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat Nazarbayev’s press office. So far, security forces have killed 26 protesters in the clashes. Eighteen policemen were also killed. More than 4,400 people have been arrested in connection with the riots in the country. The previous day, President Qasim Johart Tokayev had ordered unprovoked firing on protesters. At the same time to suppress the uprising in Kazakhstan
The U.S. says it did not approve the Russian military’s assistance. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that the Kazakh government should face the insurgents on its own instead of seeking foreign aid. When the government failed to control the riots, Kazakhstan sought the help of forces from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. .
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