Kazakhstan arrests a former interior minister over crackdown on unrest that left 238 dead

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Local media in Kazakhstan say authorities have arrested a former interior minister in connection with a deadly police crackdown on unrest that gripped the country in 2022. The protests over a sharp rise in gas prices turned violent and the president issued shoot-to-kill orders as demonstrators stormed government buildings. Officials said 238 people were killed. The protests featured criticism of corruption and economic inequality under former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose critics accuse him of profiting off the country’s energy wealth after taking office in 1991. Nazarbayez resigned in 2019 but still held substantial power at the time of the protests.