Police In Kazakhstan Detain Anti-Eurasian Union Activists

Police in Kazakhstan have detained some 20 people protesting against Kazakhstan's entry into the Eurasia Economic Union (EES) near the capital Astana.

RFE/RL correspondent Orken Zhoyamergen, who was at the site to cover the May 27 gathering, was also taken away by police.

The activists gathered in the town of Iliynka near Astana to plan their protest action scheduled for May 29 -- the day, when Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev is expected to host his Russian and Belarusian counterparts -- Vladimir Putin and Alyaksandr Lukashenka and sign the agreement on creation of the EES.

Several protests against Kazakhstan's entry into the EES have been held in Astana and Kazakhstan’s largest city -- Almaty in recent weeks.

Moscow said earlier that the union will be established by January 1, 2015 on the basis of the Customs Union, of which Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are members.