Kyrgyzstan announced the detention of five of its citizens in Kazakhstan – RBK

Five citizens of Kyrgyzstan were detained on the territory of Kazakhstan, reported Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic on Telegram.

“The Ministry has information on the detention of five citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic by the competent authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Corresponding work is being carried out with the Kazakh side on this issue, ”the message says.

The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry added that they asked Kazakhstan to “publish verified and reliable information regarding the participation of foreign citizens” in the protests and “promptly inform the diplomatic missions” of Kyrgyzstan about the detention of its citizens.

On January 9, Kyrgyzstan sent a note of protest to Kazakhstan following the arrest of Kyrgyz musician Vikram Ruzakhunov on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. Kazakh media outlets, in particular the state-owned Qazaqstan TV channel, posted a video of the interrogation in which the man claims he was paid to take part in the protests. Later, the channel deleted the video with Ruzakhunov on its YouTube channel and in social networks.