Kazakhstan jails 19 over Xinjiang protest repression criticism

A court in Kazakhstan convicted 19 activists after a protest against Beijing’s crackdown in China’s far-western Xinjiang region last year. The activists, all Kazakh nationals, protested near the border with China in November, burning Chinese flags and portraits of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and calling for the release of a detained Kazakh citizen.

Eleven were sentenced to five years in prison for “inciting discord,” while eight received restrictions on movement. Shinquat Baizhan, representing the activists, confirmed these sentences, reported by local media.

This is unprecedented, says Yalkun Uluyol from Human Rights Watch, indicating Kazakhstan’s willingness to sacrifice freedom for good relations with Beijing. The Chinese government launched a brutal crackdown in Xinjiang starting 2017, imprisoning millions of Uyghurs and Kazakhs under strict control.

The Kazakh government opened criminal investigations after receiving a diplomatic note from the Chinese consulate in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Kazakhstan as a “friendly neighbor,” while the Kazakh Ministry did not respond to comments.

Atajurt advocates for rights of Chinese-born Kazakhs facing repression in China. Bilash, Atajurt’s founder, says arrests will have widespread ramifications, losing more than just a human rights organization but also the biggest window into the humanitarian disaster in Xinjiang.