The toll of violence in Kazakhstan has been further revised upwards. The unrest, which began with peaceful protests against rising energy prices, has claimed 225 lives, authorities said on Saturday.
“During the state of emergency, the bodies of 225 people were admitted to morgues, 19 of whom were law enforcement and military personnel,” said Serik Shalabaev, a representative of the Prosecutor General. Other corpses were those of “armed bandits who took part in terrorist attacks”, he added. “Unfortunately, civilians have also been victims of terrorist acts.”
International terrorism according to the authorities
Asel Artakshinova, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, for his part announced that more than 2,600 people had been hospitalized, 67 of them currently in serious condition.
Authorities have blamed the acts of violence on bandits and international “terrorists” who they say hijacked the protests. Troops from the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization that intervened began to gradually withdraw from Thursday.