Kasachstan

Police in Kazakhstan arrested nearly 4,000 people during protests before and after a June 9 presidential election, and 700 were detained for several days, the country's interior minister reported Tuesday.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has called on Kazakh authorities "to respect freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression and right to political participation" following the detention of hundreds of protesters during rallies since Kazakhstan's June 9 presidential election.

[…] The election was set to confirm Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as the successor to Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ran sweeping powers, and handpicked Mr. Tokayev, a diplomat, to succeed him.

Dozens of protesters have been detained across Kazakhstan as several hundred people took to the streets to call for the release of all political prisoners and a boycott of the upcoming presidential election. The May 1 protests were the largest in the Central Asia country since at least 2016, and an indication of growing discontent with the political system that has been dominated by Nursultan Nazarbaev since before the 1991 Soviet collapse.

Kazakhstan's ruling Nur Otan party has nominated interim President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev for the presidency, virtually assuring his victory in a snap election scheduled for June 9.

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday called a snap election for June as the Central Asian nation seeks a new leader following the shock resignation of its longtime ruler.

At the start of this week, Kazakhstan had a capital city called Astana and a president called Nursultan. Now, it has a capital called Nursultan and a president called Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has abruptly resigned after nearly 30 years in office, but will continue to head the ruling party and keep his lifetime post as chairman of the influential Security Council.

European lawmakers have adopted a resolution urging Kazakhstan to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms." The text passed in the European Parliament on March 14 calls on the Kazakh authorities to "put an end to human rights abuses and all forms of political repression," noting that the number of political prisoners in the country has increased and the right to freedom of association remains largely restricted.