Former Chief of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (KNB), Karim Masimov, currently serving an 18-year prison sentence for his role in deadly events following anti-government protests in January 2022, faces new charges of money laundering and bribery. The KNB’s press service revealed the additional charges without providing details. Masimov, once an ally of former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, was convicted of high treason, attempting to seize power, and abuse of office. His deputies also received lengthy sentences in connection with the same case. The protests initially sparked by a fuel-price hike in Zhanaozen escalated into broader unrest against corruption and political injustice. Masimov’s arrest followed the violent suppression of the protests, resulting in numerous casualties. The authorities, led by President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, claimed the involvement of foreign terrorists without providing evidence.
By FCCT Editorial Team
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}