Police officers on a street in Almaty. File photoALMA-ATA, Jan 14 President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev instructed the republic's prosecutor general's office to mitigate the punishment for citizens detained during mass riots and after the introduction of a state of emergency in the republic, in the absence of aggravating circumstances. On his Twitter account, Tokayev wrote that during the events of «tragic January» and the subsequent state of emergency, about 2,000 people were detained for various offenses. >Sending the military to Kazakhstan was approved by 71% of Russians, a survey showed «Persons who have committed serious crimes will be punished in accordance with the law. For other persons, I instruct the Prosecutor General's Office to establish the degree of their guilt. In the absence of aggravating circumstances, take measures to mitigate the punishment,» he wrote he.