Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Azizbek Madmarov on Sunday, January 9, handed the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Republic Rapil Zhoshybayev a note regarding the detention in Alma-Ata of the famous Kyrgyz jazz musician Vikram Ruzakhunov. At the same time, Madmarov called for the Kyrgyz consul to be granted access to Ruzakhunov and to release the latter “as soon as possible.”
For his part, Zhoshybayev assured that “in the current difficult situation, the competent authorities of Kazakhstan will conduct a thorough investigation to clarify all the circumstances and reasons for what happened,” the website of the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said. In addition, after the arrest of Vikram Ruzakhunov, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Nuran Niyazaliev held telephone conversations with Rapil Zhoshybayev and Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Marat Syzdykov, “during which he expressed the extreme concern of the Kyrgyz side about the situation related to this citizen.”
Meanwhile, the consular service department of the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry assured the musician’s relatives that the ministry “will take all possible measures” to release him.
How a jazz musician was presented as a thug
Earlier, on January 9, the Kazakh media published a video of the interrogation of one of the detainees, who confessed that he had participated in the protests for money. The relatives recognized the Kyrgyz musician Vikram Ruzakhunov in the man with traces of beatings on his face.
On the same day, several dozen people went to a rally in front of the Kazakh embassy in Bishkek. The chairman of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) of Kyrgyzstan, Kambychek Tashiev, also attended the action. He promised that the authorities in Bishkek would not remain silent “when a Kyrgyz citizen is falsely accused,” and said that in connection with the detention of the pianist, Kyrgyzstan had sent a note of protest to Kazakhstan.
Mass protests and riots in Kazakhstan
Since January 2, mass protests have not abated in Kazakhstan, escalating into riots in many places. They began in connection with an increase in the price of autogas, but soon acquired a political character.
On the night of January 5, violent and large-scale clashes between security officials and protesters took place in Almaty. After these riots, the government of Kazakhstan was dismissed, and the country’s president, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, introduced a state of emergency in the country.
Tokayev on January 5 appealed to the leaders of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with a request “to assist Kazakhstan in overcoming the terrorist threat.” Airborne units were sent from Russia to Kazakhstan within the framework of this mandate.
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