Death toll surges to 164 in week of violent protests

MOSCOW — Kazakhstan’s health ministry said Sunday that 164 people have been killed in protests that have rocked the country over the past week.

The figures reported on the state news channel Khabar-24 are a significant rise from previous tallies. It is not clear if the deaths refer only to civilians or if law-enforcement deaths are included. Kazakh authorities said earlier Sunday that 16 police or national guard had been killed. Authorities previously gave the civilian death toll as 26.

Most of the deaths — 103 — were in Almaty, the country’s largest city, where demonstrators seized government buildings and set some ablaze, according to the ministry. The country’s ombudswoman for children’s rights said three of those killed were minors, including a 4-year-old girl.

The ministry earlier reported more than 2,200 people sought treatment for injuries from the protests, and the Interior Ministry said about 1,300 security officers were injured.

The office of Kazakhstan’s president said 5,800 people were detained by police during the protests that descended into violence and prompted a Russia-led military alliance to send troops to the country.

President KassymJomart Tokayev’s office said order has been restored and that authorities have regained control of administrative buildings that were occupied by protesters, some of which were set on fire.

The Russian TV station Mir-24 said sporadic gunfire was heard in Almaty on Sunday but it was unclear whether they were warning shots by law enforcement. Tokayev on Friday said he had authorized police and the military to shoot to kill to establish order.

Almaty’s airport, which had been taken by protesters last week, remained closed but was expected to resume operations Monday.

Protests over a sharp rise in fuel prices began in the country’s west on Jan. 2 and spread throughout the country, reflecting discontent extending beyond fuel prices.

Tokayev contends the demonstrations were ignited by “terrorists” with foreign backing, although the protests have shown no obvious organization. A statement from his office Sunday said the detentions included “a sizable number of foreign nationals,” but gave no details.