A wave of arrests targeting government critics is sweeping across Kazakhstan. In just two days, five people were brought in for questioning either arrest – each on a different pretext: a roadside dispute, fraud, accusations of inciting ethnic hatred. If the charges vary, the authorities’ target doesn’t.
In Atyrau, blogger Olesya Vertinskaya recently found herself on the wrong side of the law after a minor road dispute escalated into a criminal case. What began as a dispute with a man over a delivery turned into a defamation fine, -as she exposed him on her Instagram account-, then a reclassified charge of “moderate bodily harm” – despite a police officer on scene confirming no accident had occurred. Vertinskaya often spoke out against local authorities on her Instagram page. She was forcibly brought in for questioning on September 3, released after prosecutorial intervention, then detained to an unknown place minutes later, this time with her sick child pulled from her arms.
During the bloody events of January 2022, whilst working as a correspondent for the publication “Road Patrol”, she was taken to the “Dynamo” sports centre, where police officers subjected detainees to widespread torture. None of those responsible for the torture were held to responsibility.
In Almaty, activists Alnur Ilyashev and Marat Turymbetov saw their homes raided by riot police (SOBR) on September 4 after a foreign national filed a complaint against them. They were later interrogated by the police. Ilyashev and Turymbetov are both known for suing local authorities over the right to peaceful assembly. Ilyashev, previously sentenced for Facebook posts and barred from public activity, had just co-founded (with Mr.Turymbetov) a movement claiming to represent 11 million non-partisan Kazakhstanis. Following his questioning, Ilyashev was released home with the status of ‘witness with the right to a defence’ (a status similar to that of a suspect), whilst Marat Turymbetov was taken to hospital due to serious health problems (he is classified as having a Group 1 disability, but remains in custody).
Still on September 4, pro-Kremlin bloggers Anastasia Akhmetova and Elmira Kulakova were charged with inciting ethnic hatred over years of provocative, pro-Russian commentary on Kazakh language and national identity. One was placed under house arrest, the other sent to pre-trial detention. The case is now being spun by Russian propaganda outlets as political persecution.
These arrests are not isolated incidents but are part of a nationwide crackdown on the Kazakh political opposition and any speech that displeases the government, which aim to silence activists and deter others from taking action.
Last week, two popular media outlets also announced their closure and suspension: Orda.kz (whose chief-editor sentenced to a suspended prison term) and the YouTube channel ‘Hyperborea’ (whose editor is on trial and whose accounts have been blocked).
Collage: was generated with assistance of AI
