Kazakhstan Government Says It Has Detained Over 5,000 Protesters as Clampdown Worsens

Kazakhstan's soldiers control the road in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Jan. 8, 2022. Vladimir Tretyakov/NUR.KZ via AP

The Kazakhstan government has declared it has detained over 5,000 people as political unrest continues to unfold around the country.

In an official update from Kazakh President Kassem-Jomart Tokayev on Jan. 9, Kazakh authorities announced that they had detained 5,800 people, many of whom they labelled “foreigners.”