The armed men in uniforms checked every ward, shouting that they were looking for people wounded in mass unrest that had left scores dead.
Asel, who had been shot in the violence and was being treated in the hospital in Kazakhstan’s biggest city Almaty, recalled the chilling encounter.
“One of them shouted, ‘if you go out to protest again, we will kill you’.”
She believes the men with guns were from the special police forces or security services and were rounding up anyone who had taken part in anti-government protests.
They tried to take Asel with them but she was too badly wounded to walk. Her name has been changed to protect her identity.
Like many others, she joined what started as peaceful protests against fuel price rises in early January. Kazakhstan has some of the world’s largest oil reserves but most of the population doesn’t share in the wealth.
