In mid-November, Kazakhstan police detained around twenty Kazakh protesters from Xinjiang under the pretext of burning the flag of the Chinese Communist Party and portraits of Xi Jinping, in the name of “Atazhurt Volunteers Organization”. The situation has now taken a new turn as on November 22, Kazakh authorities initiated criminal proceedings, arresting 16 of the detainees under Article 174 of the criminal code. Both family members and lawyers have been denied access to the detainees.
On the 13th, members of the organization held a rally near the border crossing of Dolata in Almaty, where they burned the flags and portraits, following which they were taken to the police station in Shonzhy County, Hongayebu State.
The founder of the Atazhurt Volunteers Organization, Serikzhan, told reporters that on the evening of November 22, their lawyer, Shynkuat Baizhan, announced on social media that the 16 members previously detained administratively are now facing criminal charges. Serikzhan mentioned that these individuals are being held at different detention centers outside Almaty, with administrative detainees notified that their status will be upgraded to criminal detention upon the expiration of their 7, 10, or 15-day periods.
Serikzhan mentioned that the organization’s leader, Bekzhati, and other members are being held in 15 different locations, with no visitation rights granted to family members and lawyers forbidden from meeting them. He expressed the urgency for international attention and media coverage on the issue, calling for the unconditional release of the detainees.
On the 13th of this month, family members of the 16 Kazakh individuals from Xinjiang detained by the Kazakhstan police were notified that after participating in a public protest, they were accused of provocation and disturbing public order, leading to their administrative arrest. According to community members, about 20 individuals were detained at the time, including those with experiences in Xinjiang camps. Some were fined and released, while others were mandated to wear electronic tracking devices.
The human rights organization “Atazhurt Volunteers Organization” disclosed to the media that the members who have not been released have now had criminal charges upgraded against them by the authorities. They stated that the 16 individuals are charged under Article 174 of the criminal code for provocation, inciting hatred, and undermining Chinese-Kazakh friendship, including witnesses of Xinjiang camps. Following the criminal proceedings, family members have not received any notice of trial dates.
The handling of the detainees by the Kazakh authorities has sparked discussions among the Kazakh citizens. The use of Article 174 of the criminal code, traditionally employed in handling mass gatherings, has left the public with limited information on the detainees. Calls have been made for advocating the rights of the detainees and urging authorities to cease political reprisals.
Relatives of individuals detained in Xinjiang informed reporters that Atazhurt has been assisting them in gathering information on the disappeared in Xinjiang, sharing it globally, but members of the organization have repeatedly faced harassments and threats from individuals with official backgrounds.
Established in Almaty, the “Atazhurt Volunteers Organization” has been compiling lists of missing individuals from Xinjiang along with testimonies from their families for years. Since the establishment of education and training centers by the Xinjiang authorities in 2017, the organization has gathered extensive information from eyewitnesses inside these facilities, disseminating it to the world.
The current protests are linked to the case of Alinur Tursunbai, who disappeared in Xinjiang. Alinur went missing on July 23 after entering Xinjiang through the Dolata border crossing. Chinese authorities claimed discrepancies in his documentation as the reason for his detention, while his family went over three months without any information. His wife, Guldarjei Herizat, has been taken to the police station multiple times, accumulating fines exceeding one million tenges.
There are around 500,000 ethnic Kazakhs from Xinjiang living in Kazakhstan.