Kazakhstan: three police officers are suspected of complicity in the death of a detainee

In Urdzhar district of the East Kazakhstan region, officers of the regional department of internal security detained three police officers from Makanchi village, who are suspected of complicity in the death of the detainee.

A 33-year-old resident of the village of Karatuma, Azamat Orazaly, was detained on October 17 on suspicion of cattle theft and taken to the police station. In the evening of the same day, he was found dead, while on his body, according to his relatives, traces of beatings were found. Residents of the village went to the police station demanding to investigate what had happened. Only local elders rescued the police from the pogrom, who managed to calm the angry crowd.

On October 19, as the head of the police department of the East Kazakhstan region Sagat Madiyev, who arrived in the village on behalf of the Minister of Internal Affairs, said that several police officers were fired.

“The department of internal security has launched a pre-trial investigation into the fact of torture,” Madiyev said. “All circumstances are carefully checked. The scene of the incident was examined in the presence of close relatives of the deceased. The necessary examinations were carried out, including a pathological examination, the results of which are not ready yet. The perpetrators will be held accountable in the manner prescribed by the law.”

On October 20, the mayor of the East Kazakhstan region Danial Akhmetov visited the village, expressed condolences to the relatives of the deceased man, and promised that those responsible for his death would be punished. He also urged people to calm down.

According to the results of the official investigation, three of six dismissed police officers were recognized as suspects and placed in custody in the temporary detention center of the police department of Urdzhar district.