Most activists of rally in Almaty detained
ALMATY. Feb 15 (Interfax) - The most active participants in a Saturday protest rally in Almaty have been detained.
The police have not reported the exact number of those detained but said they would be held administratively liable.
An Interfax correspondent reported from the scene that the cordon on Republic Square in the center of Almaty has been partly removed, and the square has been opened to traffic. There are only several people on the square, mainly journalists and random passersby.
Some 50 people gathered earlier on Saturday in front of the Republic Palace on Dostyk Avenue to express their discontent with the exacerbation of social problems following the devaluation of the national currency unit, the tenge. The square in front of the palace was guarded by metal fences, and specially equipped police units were deployed there. Some demonstrators attempted to knock down the fences but police managed to contain the crowd.
After the number of the demonstrators doubled, they started marching toward the city hall along Dostyk Avenue and chanting 'Alga, Kazakhstan' (Forward, Kazakhstan).
More police confronted the demonstrators on the Republic Square in front of the city hall. Most of the protesters were detained, placed in police vans and driven away, and the others were surrounded near the headquarters of the Khabar state television channel. A prosecution official addressed the demonstrators to warn that their action was unsanctioned and called on them to disperse.
