Kazakhstan says 164 killed in week of protests

By JIM HEINTZ
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s health ministry says 164 people have been killed in protests that have rocked the country over the past week. The figures reported Sunday on the state news channel Khabar-24 are a significant increase from previous tallies. It is not clear if the number refers only to civilians or if law enforcement deaths are included. Kazakh authorities said earlier that 16 members of the police or national guard had been killed and authorities previously put civilian deaths at 26. The office of Kazakhstan’s president says about 5,800 people were detained by police during the protests that turned violent last week and prompted a Russia-led military alliance to send troops to the country.