Kazakhstanis are actively discussing on social media a video showing police officers detaining two minors. According to the author of the post, the incident occurred in Astana, reports infohub.kz.
A user under the nickname dosansan posted footage on the Threads social network showing police officers using force against children. "I understand that police officers caught children after 11 p.m. Children are not allowed to go out after 23:00. But is the action of these officers correct? Can't they explain to a child in a humane way and give them the opportunity to call their parents?" wrote the author of the post.
The Department of Police of Astana explained to a NUR.KZ correspondent that on August 17, around midnight, in the Saryarka district of the capital, two minors aged 10 and 12 were found without adult supervision. "To ensure the safety of the children, police officers took measures provided by law: it was necessary to establish the identities of the minors, deliver them to the police unit, and hand them over to legal representatives. During the delivery, the 12-year-old girl began to resist the demands of police officers, lay down on the ground, and started crying. That moment was captured on video by a passing woman. However, the published fragment does not reflect the preceding circumstances and reasons for the police officers' actions. The girl's mother was called to the scene," the police response said.
It is reported that the parents of both children were brought to administrative responsibility for the presence of minors at night outside their residence without accompaniment by legal representatives. "No statements or complaints about the actions of police officers have been received from the parents of the minors. We ask citizens not to draw conclusions based on a single fragment of the video without considering all the circumstances of the incident. We also remind about the inadmissibility of interfering with the lawful activities of internal affairs officers. Such requirements are primarily intended to protect the children themselves," the police added.
Law enforcement also reported that since the beginning of the year, more than 200 minors have become victims of crimes, and more than 400 have been injured in traffic accidents. "These figures once again show how important it is not to leave children unattended, especially at night. During the same period, the police identified more than 7,000 cases of minors being out at night without accompaniment by legal representatives. That is why, upon finding a child at night without adults, the police are obliged to take measures provided by law, establish their identity, contact parents, and ensure their safety," the Department of Police stated.