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Kazakhstan arrests ex-intelligence agency chief for treason

Security forces appeared to have quelled massive riots in Kazakhstan although the political situation remains volatile. Karim Massimo, a close ally of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, is now suspected of treason.



Calm has reportedly been restored across Kazakhstan amid heavy security presence, including Russian troops

The former head of Kazakhstan's domestic intelligence agency has been arrested on suspicion of high treason, the National Security Committee said on Saturday.

The news comes after dozens of people were killed in protests triggered by a surge in fuel prices. On Friday, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared the constitutional order was "mainly restored", with peacekeepers from Russia and several other ex-Soviet countries now in Kazakhstan.

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Ex-security chief's arrest suggests power struggle in Kazakh government: Reid Standish

Ex-intelligence chief Karim Massimov was fired earlier in the week as protests raged across the Central Asian country.Authorities now said Massimov and several other officials have been detained. The protests also prompted President Tokayev to remove his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev as head of the Security Council.
Kazakh ex-leader urges support for government

Massimov is a close ally of 81-year-old Nazarbayev.

He has twice been prime minister and has also served as head of the presidential administration under the hardline leader.

Nazarbayev has not made a public appearance since the start of protests and also did not directly react to the news of Massimov's arrest.

On Saturday, however, Nazarbayev's spokesman Aidos Ukibay said the former president "calls on everyone to rally around the president of Kazakhstan to overcome current challenges and ensure the integrity of the country."

Much of the demonstrators' anger appeared directed at Nazarbayev, who had ruled Kazakhstan for 29 years. Protesters tore down a bronze statue of him during the unrest.

Watch video 00:51 Tokayev: 'We are dealing with bandits and terrorists'

Putin and Tokayev discuss next steps

Tokayev held a "lengthy" phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

"The presidents exchanged views on the measures taken to restore order in Kazakhstan," the Kremlin said.

The two leaders agreed to hold a video conference of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a military alliance of five former Soviet republics, including Russia, soon.

Russia deployed 2,500 troops under a CSTO mandate, in a move that was widely condemned by Western nations.

lo/dj (AFP, Reuters)