Kazakh opposition leader detained on eve of protest

Kazakh police on Friday detained an activist who led efforts to create a new opposition party and who had called for a public protest at the weekend against harassment of the party's supporters. Police detained Zhanbolat Mamay outside a court building in Kaskelen not far from the city of Almaty - where another activist had been taken hours before - while his wife was broadcasting live on Facebook.

It was unclear what charges he could be facing. No-one could be reached for comment at the police station where he is being held. Mamay and his supporters were due to hold the founding congress of the Democratic Party on Feb. 22, but they cancelled it this week, calling instead for public protests over what they described as the arbitrary detention of activists.

About a dozen of Mamay's supporters quickly arrived to demand his release from the police station where he was taken, according to live video from his wife Inga Imanbay.

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