The chair of the Organisational Committee, Amangeldy Dzhakhin, of the unregistered opposition party Alga Kazakhstan! (“Forward Kazakhstan”) has been detained following police raids at his home and his son’s apartment. The detention has sparked criticism of the authorities’ treatment of the opposition.
In the lakeside city of Kokshetau in northern Kazakhstan, Dzhakhin was detained on the evening of 18 November 2025. The same day, police raided both his residence and his son’s apartment. The raids were ordered by the head of the inter-ministerial Investigation Team, Shakenov, and approved by Judge Balabekov of the Kokshetau Investigative Court on 13 October 2025.
Following the searches, Dzhakhin was placed in a temporary detention facility, where he remains pending the court’s decision on preventive measures. According to available information at the time of publication, he has not yet been formally charged.
Authorities Use Broad Anti-Extremism Laws Against Opposition
As of now, Dzhakhin’s detention remains shrouded in speculation. According to the Human Rights Monitoring Group, his arrest is linked to charges under §405(2) (“participation in the activities of a prohibited organisation”) and §258(1) of the Penal Code (“financing of activities related to extremism”).
Article 405(2) covers participation in activities of organisations deemed illegal by the state and can be interpreted broadly, including attending meetings or publicly supporting a movement.
Article 258(1) targets the financing of extremist activities but is frequently used in cases without any violence or threats, such as providing financial support to political initiatives.
These articles grant the authorities wide discretionary power and have historically been used to punish political activism. In Dzhakhin’s case, his long-standing work as an outspoken political activist, calling for the release of political prisoners and protesting against the persecution of opposition figures, suggests his arrest is part of a broader pattern of politically motivated prosecutions in Kazakhstan
A Party Blocked at Every Turn
The political party Alga Kazakhstan! has faced persistent obstruction from the government since its establishment. From the outset, the party has struggled to gain official registration, repeatedly being denied by the Ministry of Justice on technical or arbitrary grounds despite submitting thousands of valid signatures. Between 2022 and 2025, the Ministry rejected its registration applications at least 26 times, effectively preventing the party from operating legally.
The party’s leaders and activists have been subjected to ongoing harassment, detentions, and politically motivated prosecutions. Most notably, party leader Marat Zhylanbaev was sentenced in November 2023 for alleged involvement in a banned organisation and financing extremist activities under articles 405 and 258 of the Criminal Code. The charges largely stemmed from social media posts, peaceful protests, and civic engagement—activities that fall within the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and assembly. Zhylanbaev’s trial was held behind closed doors, his lawyer reprimanded, and human rights observers barred from monitoring the proceedings, raising serious concerns about fairness.
Even before his conviction, Zhylanbaev had repeatedly been detained for participating in peaceful protests and was excluded from the 2023 parliamentary elections for alleged unlawful campaigning. Financial support he provided to fellow activists to cover candidate registration fees was also interpreted as “financing extremism,” even though the recipients had no criminal record.
Crackdown on Peaceful Political Activism
The arrest of Amangeldy Dzhakhin in 2025 under the same “extremism-related” articles reflect a continuing pattern of political persecution against Alga Kazakhstan! and its members.
Despite the party’s peaceful agenda and commitment to constitutional political reform, it continues to operate under constant threat of harassment, criminal charges, and state obstruction, illustrating the severe challenges facing genuine opposition movements in Kazakhstan.
