01:45Renowned Kyrgyz jazz musician Vikram Ruzakhunov returned to Bishkek from Kazakhstan on Monday after being detained and accused of terrorism by the Kazakh authorities.
On Sunday, the musician appeared in a "confession" video in Kazakhstani media in which he admitted to taking part in last week’s anti-government protests for payment.
The jazz player said he had agreed to the video "to get back home as soon as possible, and so I decided to use it."
Ruzakhunov said that he flew to Almaty on January 2 to start a business with a friend. After the start of the protests in the city, the musician said he had not left the rented apartment where he was staying.
"I sat at home on the 4, 5, 6 [of January]. The situation was heating up, and it turns out that the Internet was cut off, grocery stores were already closed, [stores] did not work. And I’m making an attempt, I’m telling a friend that I would rather go home and stay at home," he said.
On January 7, Ruzakhunov decided to leave Kazakhstan but was detained by the military in the village of Samsy.
"There was no torture. What you see, I repeat once again: it happened in the village of Samsy used by the military during the arrest," he commented on the bruises on his face.
After his detention, the musician told law enforcement officers that he was a famous jazz artist, but the fact could not be verified due to the lack of the Internet.
Following a public outcry and statements from Kyrgyz officials, including the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ruzakhunov was released from detention on Monday.
The unrest in Kazakhstan started after unauthorised rallies began in the Mangistau region on January 2, as prices of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) rose from 60 to 120 tenge (€0.12 to €0.24; $0.14 to $0.28) per litre since January 1.
The price hike came after the government lifted price controls on LPG, citing a need to liberalise the market.
According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Health, over 1,300 people have been injured during the protests, and almost 400 have been hospitalised.
The official number of those detained, provided by the country’s Interior Ministry, is over 10,000.
Authorities in Kazakhstan have previously claimed that at least 164 people were killed in the unrest, including 103 in Almaty, later however retracting this number due to “technical mistake”.
Kyrgyzstan: Well-known jazz musician returns home after being detained in Kazakhstan
Renowned Kyrgyz jazz musician Vikram Ruzakhunov returned to Bishkek from Kazakhstan on Monday after being detained and accused of terrorism by the Kazakh authorities.
On Sunday, the musician appeared in a "confession" video in Kazakhstani media in which he admitted to taking part in last week’s anti-government protests for payment.
The jazz player said he had agreed to the video "to get back home as soon as possible, and so I decided to use it."
Ruzakhunov said that he flew to Almaty on January 2 to start a business with a friend. After the start of the protests in the city, the musician said he had not left the rented apartment where he was staying.
"I sat at home on the 4, 5, 6 [of January]. The situation was heating up, and it turns out that the Internet was cut off, grocery stores were already closed, [stores] did not work. And I’m making an attempt, I’m telling a friend that I would rather go home and stay at home," he said.
On January 7, Ruzakhunov decided to leave Kazakhstan but was detained by the military in the village of Samsy.
"There was no torture. What you see, I repeat once again: it happened in the village of Samsy used by the military during the arrest," he commented on the bruises on his face.
After his detention, the musician told law enforcement officers that he was a famous jazz artist, but the fact could not be verified due to the lack of the Internet.
Following a public outcry and statements from Kyrgyz officials, including the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ruzakhunov was released from detention on Monday.
The unrest in Kazakhstan started after unauthorised rallies began in the Mangistau region on January 2, as prices of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) rose from 60 to 120 tenge (€0.12 to €0.24; $0.14 to $0.28) per litre since January 1.
The price hike came after the government lifted price controls on LPG, citing a need to liberalise the market.
According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Health, over 1,300 people have been injured during the protests, and almost 400 have been hospitalised.
The official number of those detained, provided by the country’s Interior Ministry, is over 10,000.
Authorities in Kazakhstan have previously claimed that at least 164 people were killed in the unrest, including 103 in Almaty, later however retracting this number due to “technical mistake”.
Renowned Kyrgyz jazz musician Vikram Ruzakhunov returned to Bishkek from Kazakhstan on Monday after being detained and accused of terrorism by the Kazakh authorities.
On Sunday, the musician appeared in a "confession" video in Kazakhstani media in which he admitted to taking part in last week’s anti-government protests for payment.
The jazz player said he had agreed to the video "to get back home as soon as possible, and so I decided to use it."
Ruzakhunov said that he flew to Almaty on January 2 to start a business with a friend. After the start of the protests in the city, the musician said he had not left the rented apartment where he was staying.
"I sat at home on the 4, 5, 6 [of January]. The situation was heating up, and it turns out that the Internet was cut off, grocery stores were already closed, [stores] did not work. And I’m making an attempt, I’m telling a friend that I would rather go home and stay at home," he said.
On January 7, Ruzakhunov decided to leave Kazakhstan but was detained by the military in the village of Samsy.
"There was no torture. What you see, I repeat once again: it happened in the village of Samsy used by the military during the arrest," he commented on the bruises on his face.
After his detention, the musician told law enforcement officers that he was a famous jazz artist, but the fact could not be verified due to the lack of the Internet.
Following a public outcry and statements from Kyrgyz officials, including the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ruzakhunov was released from detention on Monday.
The unrest in Kazakhstan started after unauthorised rallies began in the Mangistau region on January 2, as prices of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) rose from 60 to 120 tenge (€0.12 to €0.24; $0.14 to $0.28) per litre since January 1.
The price hike came after the government lifted price controls on LPG, citing a need to liberalise the market.
According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Health, over 1,300 people have been injured during the protests, and almost 400 have been hospitalised.
The official number of those detained, provided by the country’s Interior Ministry, is over 10,000.
Authorities in Kazakhstan have previously claimed that at least 164 people were killed in the unrest, including 103 in Almaty, later however retracting this number due to “technical mistake”.