Kazakh Parliament Holds Unprecedented Hearing on Investigation into Tragic January Events So Far
Nur-Sultan, 14 March 2022 – At the special plenary session of the Mazhilis (lower house of parliament), Kazakhstan’s top law enforcement officials as well as the Human Rights Commissioner and a prominent civil rights lawyer answered questions today about the investigation into the January events in Kazakhstan. The session, which lasted three and a half hours and which was broadcast live on national TV channels and online, became an unprecedented action involving MPs from all political factions reflecting the gravity of the ordeal the country had lived through in early January.
Describing what took place in January, the Prosecutor General divided the events into three waves. First, there were peaceful rallies that focused on economic demands, which were met. An estimated 50,000 people took part in these rallies. Then, different extremists joined the protesters. Because of the incitement, clashes broke out. Finally, criminal elements and bandits joined the demonstrations, turning them into a violent unrest.
Prosecutor General Berik Asylov noted that “we saw the combination of extremism, criminal and religious radicalism.” He said dozens of facilities in Almaty, including the airport, were vandalized, weapons stores were attacked, and firearms were seized. Criminals damaged more than 800 street surveillance cameras. Civilians were used as human shields, and vehicles were used as battering rams. Asylov emphasized that the ultimate goal of such actions was the seizure of power, therefore, such actions are regarded as an act of terrorism. He further noted irreversible consequences could have occurred if the perpetuators were successful in their plans, including the loss of statehood.
In response to the question on who instigated the January events, and who was behind the terrorist attacks, Prosecutor General Berik Asylov acknowledged that right now it is difficult for him to answer this question. However, he reassured that “we will know the answer by the end of the investigation.”
Turning to the issue of cases being investigated, Asylov informed that 44 criminal cases are being investigated on organizing and participating in mass riots. A total of 46 criminal cases are related to acts of terrorism. The Prosecutor General clarified that the purpose of the terrorist act was to intimidate the population, destroy strategic facilities in order to paralyze the work of the authorities.
According to the Prosecutor General, a total of 766 people are now in custody on various charges by all law enforcement bodies investigating the consequences of the violent unrest. Of those, 19 are citizens of foreign countries, including Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The speaker also noted that 230 people died during to the January events, including 19 police and law enforcement officers. Overall, 3,500 security officers were injured. Responding to the question by one of the MPs on when the list of those killed during the January events will be published, Prosecutor General Asylov explained there are legal restrictions on the publication of such information. He said: “After clarification of all the circumstances, we will publish the list.” In this regard, he reminded the investigation is continuing, adding that two months is not enough to conclude all the circumstances of a tragedy of this magnitude. He stressed that the final decisions on all criminal cases will be communicated to the population.
The meeting also included reports by Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Akhmetzhanov, who informed that more than 2,800 weapons were stolen during the unrest. 2,000 weapons are still in the hands of the criminals. Akhmetzhanov reminded that persons who voluntarily hand over their weapons will not be charged.
He notified that the police are investigating 3,070 criminal cases, assuring that the innocent will not be punished. A total of 184 people that are in custody are suspected of committing grave and especially grave crimes, the Minister clarified.
Regarding the damage caused during the unrest, Asylov informed that more than 1,500 state and commercial buildings were damaged.
First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar further notified that 1,630 small and medium-sized business properties were damaged, which amounts to 38.6 billion tenge worth of damage. He said work is underway to compensate businesses for the damage adding that more than 24 billion tenge has been allocated to compensate SMEs. The speaker emphasized that all businesses affected by the riots were receiving compensation. The Ministry of the National Economy added in this regard that it is planned to compensate entrepreneurs for most of the damage by the end of the first half of the year.
Turning to the issue of ensuring the rights of the detainees, the members of parliament asked about the alleged use of torture to obtain information and abuse of power. The Prosecutor General acknowledged that there are, unfortunately, such instances. In this regard, 243 criminal cases have been initiated, while 9 people were detained, 8 are employees of the National Security Committee (KNB), and one is a police officer. The head of the Anti-Corruption Service, Olzhas Bektenov, further explained that out of 243 such cases, 234 criminal cases are being investigated by his agency against law enforcement officers. As explained earlier, criminal cases against law enforcement officers as, as a rule, investigated by another law enforcement agency to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
The Human Rights Commissioner for in Kazakhstan, Elvira Azimova, said reports of violations were assessed with the prosecutor’s office and the police at all levels. She informed her office had received 137 allegations of torture and ill-treatment. They relate to police officers who used unlawful methods of investigation.
Regarding the arrest of the former head of the KNB and his deputies, Prosecutor General Asylov stated: “The former head of the KNB Karim Masimov, his three deputies, and two more chiefs have been prosecuted for high treason, an attempt to seize power, and taking a bribe on an especially large scale.” He informed these crimes usually carry a sentence of 17 years in prison. He stressed, however, that the investigation was still on-going.
Aiman Umarova, head of the Aqiqat (Truth) public commission for the investigation of the January events, also addressed the gathering and noted that it was difficult to name only socio-economic problems as the true causes of the January events. She suggested the riots had been led by professionally trained groups, including members of the special services and criminals. She further noted that allegedly there were a number of citizens of other Asian countries among the protesters who spoke neither Kazakh nor Russian. Civilians were drawn into the crowd through threats and violence, Umarova said. The lawyer also claimed that, according to her sources and initial findings, preparations for the January events took at least two years. In this regard, Defence Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov stressed that the involvement of people who had undergone special training was clearly visible behind the chaos.
Concluding the meeting, the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General’s Office answered numerous questions from the MPs and assured that they would work to prevent terrorist attacks in the future.