Kazakhstan has arrested former National Security chief on charges of treason, Reuters reported

ALMATY (Reuters) – Kazakhstan authorities have arrested Karim Massimov, former head of the national security commission, for treason, the security commission said on Saturday.

Massimov, who was released this week because of protests in the Central Asian country, was arrested along with several other officials, the National Security Commission said in a statement. He did not name or provide further details.

Reuters was unable to contact Massimov immediately.

Dozens have been killed and public buildings across Kazakhstan have been searched and set on fire in the worst form of violence the former Soviet republic has suffered in 30 years of independence.

After several days of violence, security forces seem to have recaptured the streets of Kazakhstan’s main city by Friday. Russian President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said he had ordered his troops to be shot dead to stop the uprising across the country.

At the invitation of Tokaiev, a Russian-led military alliance has been deployed during a tense period of East-West relations. Russia and the United States are preparing for talks on the Ukraine crisis next week.

Massimov Nursultan is a close ally of former President Nazarbayev. He has served as prime minister twice, and has also served as head of Nazarbayev’s presidency.

Nazarbayev, 81, was the longest-serving ruler of a former Soviet state until he gave Tokayev the presidency in 2019. It is widely believed that his family maintained his influence in Nur-Sultan, the capital built for this purpose. .