Amnesty International recently urged Kazakhstan to drop charges against 19 activists from the Atajurt human rights movement. These activists face up to a decade in prison after being charged under Article 174 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code for their peaceful protest that advocated for the release of Alimnur Turganbay, a Kazakhstani citizen held in China since July 2025. Amnesty’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, Marie Struthers, criticized the case as a misuse of criminal law intended to stifle dissent, emphasizing the international standards that necessitate their release. Peaceful protest, she stated, should not be criminalized even if it discomforts influential geopolitical entities, such as China.
The call for action comes as the activists’ trial approaches on January 23 in Taldykorgan. The activists, detained during their protest near the Kazakhstan-China border, include many ethnic Kazakhs originally from China’s Xinjiang region. In the protest’s aftermath, authorities initially pursued administrative charges like “hooliganism,” but escalated to criminal charges after diplomatic communications from Chinese officials. Most activists are in custody, with a few under house arrest. The case underscores worsening regional dynamics where China’s influence appears to shape domestic policy approaches towards dissent. Kazakhstan’s geographical and cultural proximity to China, housing a significant Uyghur and Kazakh community from Xinjiang, intensifies these challenges.
Human Rights Watch also added their voice, expressing concern that Kazakhstan appears more intent on supporting China’s repressive policies than safeguarding freedom of expression. Additional support has come from the International Partnership for Human Rights and the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights, both underscoring inconsistencies with global standards for free expression and assembly. Since 2016, China has intensified repression in Xinjiang, with documented abuses including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and cultural oppression—a situation some have termed crimes against humanity.
This prosecution marks a significant shift in Kazakhstan’s handling of citizens advocating for human rights, being one of the largest groups targeted in a single proceeding related to human rights advocacy concerning Xinjiang. The potential geopolitical ramifications are substantial, considering Kazakhstan’s pivotal position and its community links with Xinjiang, shining a spotlight on the nation’s human rights record ahead of the trial. For more context on this development, further details are available in the original report.