Kazakh police arrest protesters in Almaty

Police in Kazakhstan have detained a number of demonstrators during an unsanctioned protest rally against the devaluation of the country’s national currency, tenge.

On Saturday, a small group of Kazakh protesters gathered near the main Republic Square in the city of Almaty, to voice their outrage at the Central Bank’s decision to devalue the national currency.

According to local media reports, clashes erupted between the demonstrators and security forces after they attempted to prevent the protesting crowd from marching towards the city hall.

Reports said security forces arrested most of the activists as they tried to break through police barricades set up outside the city hall. The detainees were then put into police vehicles and driven away.

It was not clear how many people were taken into custody. Police say the detainees will be charged with administrative offences.

Earlier this week, Kazakhstan Central Bank decided to devalue tenge by about 19 percent against the dollar. The move has caused a widespread panic across the country, which has the largest economy in Central Asia.