ORAL -- Activists in the northwestern Kazakh city of Oral gathered on May 31 near a memorial to the victims of Stalinist repression to protest alleged government pressure on opposition leaders and supporters, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
May 31 in Kazakhstan is an official day to mark the victims of political repression.
The demonstrators carried photographs of politicians and journalists whom they allege were killed by elements within President Nursultan Nazarbaev's administration.
Plainclothes police officers tried to stop the protest by saying it was unsanctioned, but the demonstrations continued nevertheless.
The Communist Party leader in Oral, Vasily Shamin, told RFE/RL that the activists had requested official permission to hold the gathering but never received a response and therefore decided to stage the event anyways.