Kazakhstan detains ex-defence minister for inaction during unrest

 Murat Bektanov risks a sentence of four to eight years in jail if he is found guilty of failing to carry out his responsibilities during the violent riots.

An ex-defence minister has been detained in Kazakhstan after prosecutors launched an investigation into whether he failed to carry out his responsibilities during last month's violent unrest, which resulted in the deaths of at least 225 people, according to a statement released by the prosecutor general's office.

 [File: Vasily Krestyaninov/AP]

A conviction for Murat Bektanov, who was fired by President Kassym Jomart Tokayev earlier this month, may result in his serving four to eight years in jail.

In accordance with Article 452 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the General Prosecutor's Office opened a pre-trial inquiry into the former Minister of Defense Bektanov Murat Karibayevich on February 19, based on the fact that he was inactive during his tenure in office. According to the prosecutor general's office, "On February 20, Bektanov was seized and lodged in a temporary detention center on suspicion of committing this crime," which is spelled in the Russian order of the entire name with the father's name at the end.

An additional senior security official, a former head of the national security committee, has been arrested on charges of treason and abuse of office in connection with the deadliest unrest in the oil-rich Central Asian nation's post-Soviet history. Tokayev has described the unrest as an attempted coup.

The police have stated that they are still investigating the events of January; however, they have not named any suspects other than the former security chief and a couple of his subordinates as of yet.

The failure of a public official to perform his or her official obligations, which resulted in serious repercussions, is punishable by imprisonment for a period ranging from four to eight years, according to the law's article "Inaction of the authorities."

When committed in a combat situation, the same offenses are punished by imprisonment for a period ranging from five to ten years in jail.

A fuel price hike sparked the unrest, which expanded to the rest of Kazakhstan's metropolitan areas, resulting in violent fights and theft. The disturbance began on January 2 in a southern oil town and quickly spread throughout the country.

Activists in Kazakhstan have blamed the disturbance on bandits and foreign "terrorists" who, they claim, hijacked the demonstrations, which culminated in the country's largest city, Almaty, being designated as the epicenter of violence.

During the upheaval, Tokayev resorted to a military alliance led by Russia for assistance, and he effectively sidelined his erstwhile mentor and predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev by assuming control of the National Security Council.

Troops from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), an alliance of six former Soviet governments, assisted in bringing the violence in the Central Asian country to a halt before withdrawing from the country.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES