Eighteen foreigners remain jailed in Kazakhstan over unrest

Kazakhstan’s human rights commissioner says 14 Uzbek, two Russian and two Kyrgyz nationals remain in detention centers.

A total of 18 foreign nationals remain imprisoned in Kazakhstan for allegedly being involved in last month’s unrest that killed 225 people, according to the country’s human rights commissioner.

Speaking at a news meeting on Tuesday, Elvira Azimova said that foreign nationals, 14 of whom are Uzbek, two Russian and two Kyrgyz nationals, are in jail pending trial.

She said that the foreigners are held in temporary detention centers.

Kazakh authorities on Monday also jailed Murat Bektanov, the country’s former defense minister, after prosecutors launched a probe against him for allegedly failing to fulfill his duties during the unrest. He faces four to eight years in prison if convicted.

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