As many as 4,404 people were detained in Kazakhstan following mass protests, the Kazakh Interior Ministry said.

"A total of 4,404 people were detained," the ministry said on Saturday.

Rallies against a sharp hike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas broke out on January 2 in Zhanaozen, a city in the Mangistau region in western Kazakhstan. The situation deteriorated and the rallies turned into mass protests with economic and political demands across the country. Clashes between protesters and security forces occurred in Almaty on January 4 and January 5. Early on Wednesday morning, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government's resignation. He then declared a nationwide state of emergency until January 19. Mass protests and riots continued in a number of regions of Kazakhstan on January 6 and 7. Looters were active in Almaty and other cities.

A counter-terrorist operation is continuing in Almaty.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization sent its peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan after Tokayev made such request.