The Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan announced the detention of the country’s former Minister of Defense Murat Bektanov. On January 20, he was placed in a temporary detention center on suspicion of inaction during the January protests and riots, the department in Nur-Sultan said on Monday, February 21.
The pre-trial investigation against Bektanov was launched on 19 February. The department suspects him of violating Article 452 of the Criminal Code on the inaction of government officials. “Other information in the interests of the investigation is not subject to disclosure,” the statement further states.
Murat Bektanov has headed the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan since August 2021. On January 19, 2022, he was relieved of his post following mass protests and riots in the country. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accused the command of the armed forces and Bektanov of extremely insecure and lack of initiative management, as well as failure to fulfill the tasks assigned to him.
January protests and riots in Kazakhstan
In early January, rallies began in Zhanaozen in western Kazakhstan against a sharp increase in the price of liquefied natural gas, which quickly escalated into mass protests across the country with economic and political demands. In some regions, on the night of January 5, pogroms began, attacks on administrative buildings, police stations, and shops. The largest city of Kazakhstan, Almaty, suffered the most.
According to authorities, 225 people, including 19 law enforcement officials, were killed during the riots, and more than 4,500 people were injured. In the former capital alone, more than 2,700 people have been detained in connection with protests and riots. President Tokayev dismissed the government and declared a state of emergency in the country. On January 6, at his request, an armed contingent arrived in Kazakhstan to help “in overcoming the terrorist threat.” In mid-January, units of the CSTO forces left Kazakhstan.
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