Kyrgyz man says was offered money to join Kazakhstan protest
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An unemployed man from Kyrgyzstan, south Kazakhstan, admits he was paid a sum of money to join the protests in the crisis-stricken country.
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Kazakh Interior Minister, Yerlan Turgumbayev, stated that about 300 people were arrested.
A man from Kyrgyzstan claimed on Kazakh state television that he was offered $200 for participating in a protest in the crisis-stricken country.
"I was contacted by people I do not know, and they offered to pay me 90,000 Kazakh tenges for joining a demonstration," the man said on state-owned Khabar-24 television.
The bruised man stated that he was unemployed. He reportedly told the media that he arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, on January 2nd, just as fuel protests were picking up steam. He claimed he was taken to an apartment where a dozen Tajik and Uzbek nationals were awaiting orders.
Vicram Rouzakhunov, a Kyrgyz jazz music celebrity and pianist, was identified as the arrested man by Azis Abakirov, an influential Kyrgyz businessman.
"He often comes to Kazakhstan to perform at concerts. He is well-known in the Jazz world. We know and love him! Please don't accuse him of impossible things and let him go. He's an ordinary musician!" Abakirov tweeted.
In a comment, Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry told Sputnik that it was working with Kazakh authorities to identify the man. It urged Kazakh citizens to obey the law, avoid conflict situations, and stay at home.
More than 5100 arrested
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Interior announced that more than 5,100 people were arrested during the recent riots in the country.
The Kazakh Interior Ministry said, in a statement, today, Sunday, that "to date, 5,135 people have been arrested throughout Kazakhstan."
The Interior Minister, Yerlan Turgumbayev, stated that about 300 people were arrested while trying to cross the country's borders, adding that they were found in possession of firearms, stolen items, and large sums of money in local and foreign currencies.
