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| Title | Kazakhstan invites UN to probe deadly rioting |
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Country | Kazakhstan |
| Publication Date | 22 December 2011 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakhstan invites UN to probe deadly rioting, 22 December 2011, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4f1431d8c.html [accessed 31 May 2012] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Kazakhstan invites UN to probe deadly rioting
December 22, 2011
Kazakhstan's prosecutor-general has reportedly invited the United Nations to take part in the investigation into last week's deadly clashes between security forces and protesters in the oil-rich west.
Prosecutors now say 15 people were killed in the town of Zhanaozen on December 16, raising the previous death toll of 14. A clash in a nearby village one day later killed one person.
His press service said Kazakhstan's Prosecutor-General Askhat Daulbaev invited the UN to take part in the investigation at a meeting on December 22 in the capital, Astana, with the UN human rights envoy for Central Asia, Armen Harutyunyan.
President Nursultan Nazarbaev blamed "hooligans" for the violence and imposed a state of emergency in Zhanaozen.
But the United States said it was "deeply concerned", and video emerged on the Internet that appeared to show security forces beating and even firing on some of the fleeing protesters.
Human Rights Watch has called on Kazakhstan to "immediately investigate" allegations of torture and ill-treatment of the dozens of people detained after the riots.
compiled from agency reports
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
Topics: Labour conflict,
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