The new Kazakh prime minister affirms that the Government must pull the country out of the crisis

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Aliján Smaílov, has affirmed this Wednesday that the Government, among other tasks, must get the country out of the crisis caused by violent protests that shook the Central Asian republic last week.

“We must justify the great confidence that the Head of State (Kasim-Yomart Tókayev) has placed in this difficult moment for the entire country,” said the new prime minister at the first meeting of the new Cabinet. The Kazakh Legislative yesterday unanimously approved the appointment of Smailov, 49, as the country’s new prime minister, a position to which he was proposed by Tokáyev.

The latter announced yesterday the withdrawal of international troops and measures to appease citizen discontent: raise the level and quality of life of the population, preserve economic growth, deal with the coronavirus pandemic and repair the enormous damage caused by terrorists and looters, and bring the country out of the crisis.

AI urges Kazakhstan to release detainees arbitrarily

Amnesty International (AI), for its part, has urged the Kazakhstan authorities to release journalists and activists arbitrarily detained for reporting on the mass protests and to reveal the number of civilians killed in the unrest.

“All persons in custody who have not committed internationally recognized crimes and who were detained solely for violating Kazakhstan’s unjustifiably restrictive legislation on mass gatherings, must also be immediately released,” AI stressed in a statement.

“The silence of the authorities on the number of victims of the riots and the circumstances of their deaths is outrageous. Information on the victims must be disclosed immediately,” he stressed. Marie Struthers, AI Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.