After Kazakhstan unrest, relatives await detainees’ release

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — With life in Kazakhstan’s largest city starting to return to normal after anti-government protests turned violent, relatives of the thousands arrested in the unrest are seeking to learn the fate of their loved ones. About 12,000 people are in custody following the unprecedented violence in the Central Asian nation. In the former capital of Almaty, where normal life has resumed, groups of people are waiting outside detention centers for relatives and friends to be released. Human rights activists say lawyers have not been allowed inside. The demonstrations began Jan. 2 over a sharp increase in fuel prices but quickly turned against the government. Scores of people were reported killed in the unrest.