Amid the crisis in Kazakhstan, with thousands of protesters detained and dozens dead, the country’s former intelligence chief was arrested on suspicion of treason, state media reported on Saturday.
Karim Masimov headed the National Security Committee until he was fired by President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev last Wednesday (5), when violent protests, initially motivated by the rise in the price of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), multiplied by streets of the former soviet republic.
It is one of the first arrests of prominent political figures in the Central Asian country since the beginning of the crisis. In addition to being head of intelligence, Masimov has served as prime minister for two terms over the past two decades and has been an ally of dictator Nursultan Nazarbaiev, known as the “father of the nation.”
Authoritarian leader Tokaev’s office also announced that he had informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that the situation in the country was stabilizing, but that outbreaks of what he called terrorist attacks persisted and must be fought with complete determination.
Russia has played a central role in the conflict, seen as a possible window of opportunity for Moscow to expand its influence in the region. Some 2,500 troops — most sent by Putin — began arriving in Kazakhstan on Friday to help government forces crack down on protesters.
Against the backdrop, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Russian support for the Kazakh government and said the country may have difficulty getting rid of Russian troops. “One lesson from recent history is that once the Russians are in your house, it’s very difficult to get them to leave.”
The Russians soon responded. The country’s foreign ministry called Blinken’s comment “typically offensive” and accused him of making jokes about tragic events in Kazakhstan, adding that Washington should look at its own history of military interventions in countries like Iraq and Vietnam.
“If Blinken is so fond of history lessons, he should take into account that when Americans are at home, it can be difficult to stay alive without being robbed or raped,” the Foreign Ministry teased on a Telegram channel.
Moscow claims that the deployment of troops to Kazakhstan was a request by the local government. Aid was launched through the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a military alliance of ex-Soviet countries created in 1999 and which had never had greater practical value, but is now organizing its first mission.
In addition to the request for help, Tokayev ordered his country’s troops to shoot to kill anyone taking part in the acts. On Friday, he said that the state had been silent in the face of the preparations of the protesters, which he called terrorists, to organize protests in the country’s largest city, Almati, and other regions. Massimov’s arrest, he said, indicates that actions are underway against those responsible for the social uprising.
At least 26 protesters and 18 police were killed, according to the most up-to-date information from the Interior Ministry, and more than 4,000 people were detained, including some foreign nationals. The autocrat leader’s office said that a national day of mourning will be declared next Monday (10).
Although the national demonstrations started with the banner of increasing the price of fuel, the movement escalated to other demands. Opposition leaders say the Kremlin is behind the crisis in an attempt to recreate a kind of Soviet Union in the region.
Also on Saturday, dictator Nursultan Nazarbaiev, who ruled the country for almost 30 years until 2019, urged the population to support the government and fight the crisis that Kazakhstan is experiencing. The statement was made through his spokesman, Aidos Ukibai, on a social network.
Nazarbaiev, who has not made public appearances since the wave of protests began, also claimed to be in direct contact with Tokayev. With the disappearance of the former dictator, there was a suspicion that he had left the country in the midst of the crisis, to which he replied that speculation about his whereabouts should not be made.
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