Document #2008216
RFE/RL – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Author)
NUR-SULTAN -- Police in Kazakhstan have detained several anti-government protesters who staged demonstrations during ceremonies to mark the 74th anniversary of the Allied victory against Nazi Germany in World War II.
RFE/RL correspondents witnessed the detention of at least one protester in Nur-Sultan, the capital, and several in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty.
Meanwhile, many social-media apps and news websites were inaccessible in Kazakhstan for most of the day on May 9 -- including the website of RFE/RL's Kazakh Service.
The developments came a day after the Prosecutor-General's Office called on citizens not to organize or participate in unsanctioned rallies on Victory Day -- warning of 'harsh" punishment for such activities.
Earlier, fugitive former banker Mukhtar Ablyazov, a vocal critic of the Kazakh government who lives in France, called on Kazakhs via the Internet to hold protest demonstrations during the Victory Day celebrations.
During the night, access to all the sites was restored, RFE/RL reported.
Kazakh officials have not given an official explanation, and representatives of the Information Ministry, National Security Committee, and Kazakhtelecom were not available for comment.
In recent years, the Kazakh government has blocked social-media websites in a bid to forestall public gatherings and rallies organized by opposition figures or rights groups.
In February 2017, Amnesty International warned that Kazakh authorities were stepping up efforts to keep tabs on online dissent.
Last year, for several months, such popular websites as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter and messaging apps like Telegram either worked slowly or not at all in Kazakhstan during the evening hours.
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