Kazakh Students Arrested in Egypt Receive Assistance, Says Foreign Ministry

Efforts are ongoing to provide consular and legal assistance to Kazakhstani students arrested in Egypt, according to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

In its reply to the Agency’s enquiry, the Ministry said: “The Kazakh embassy in Egypt provides necessary consular and legal assistance to detained Kazakhstanis”, The Caspian Post reports citing Kazinform.

Contact has been established with local law enforcement agencies. The circumstances of the incident are yet to be clarified, said the Ministry, adding that the relevant information will be communicated to the relatives of those arrested.

The Kazakh Foreign Ministry confirmed the Kazakhstani students studying in Egypt faced bureaucratic hurdles when obtaining and extending their visas.

In particular, the visa extension process was delayed for 4-5 months, which can lead to violations of immigration regulations, reads the reply. “As part of its efforts to resolve the issue, the Kazakh embassy in Egypt holds talks with the local Interior Ministry and the leadership of the relevant higher education facilities. The Egyptian side confirmed it seeks to solve this issue in the optimal way".

To note, the information about the detention of 15 Kazakhstani nationals, who left for Egypt to receive a religious education, was circulating on social networks. It was informed that frequent cases of Kazakhstani nationals, who went for studying, being detained are reported.