2022 Kazakhstan protests

Six police officers were sentenced to three years in prison in relation to the torture of 44 foreign nationals in the dark days of Qandy Qantar 2022.

While over 30 security and law enforcement officials have been convicted for abuse during Bloody January, the number remains low compared to the scale of violations.

Since the violent unrest of January 2022 in Kazakhstan, Samat Abish has remained in the shadows of various investigations. He’s now a target.

Massimov’s supporters say the case against him was politically motivated, an incident of clear scapegoating.

Almaty’s journalists witnessed Kazakhstan’s largest city roil with protests, peaceful at first, then become engulfed in deepening anger and shocking violence. 

The legal battle for justice for those arbitrarily detained and those who were brutally tortured during Kazakhstan’s Bloody January imploded before it started.

In two southern Kazakhstan cities, the January protests devolved into shocking violence, from the use of live ammunition against protesters to police beatings of those detained. 

The government’s version of events highlights a high-level conspiracy, but provides few details on motives and methods.

Journalists and others faced questions, fines, and jail cells after covering protests in Kazakhstan.

What began as peaceful protests in both Uralsk and Kyzylorda diverged sharply.

As protests persisted in early January 2022, police began to crack down on protesters and summon journalists for questioning.

As 2022 began, unrest sparked in a familiar cauldron in western Kazakhstan’s discontented oil towns.

The time has come to re-evaluate Kazakhstan’s social contract. Is President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev up to the challenge?

Protests, unrest, war, and worry defined 2022 in Central Asia.

The Kazakh president, whose constitutional referendum this summer aimed to bring about a "New" Kazakhstan, has moved, rhetorically, on to speaking of a “Just” Kazakhstan.

Former Majilis speaker Nurlan Nigmatulin seems to have lost power. 

In a recent interview, the Kazakh president again pushed back against those in Russia who say Moscow "saved" Kazakhstan in January.

The troubles of Zhanbolat Mamai make it clear that Kazakh authorities have little interest in genuine political competition.

Uzbekistan sent a second note to Kazakhstan about the Uzbek citizens who remain in detention after having been rounded up during the January unrest.

Insights from George Voloshin

Fears of continued instability and uncertainty over the government’s course of action may cause more people to decide to leave Kazakhstan.

Though smaller in scale, ongoing protests highlight the economic inequality that lies at the center of Kazakh discontent.

A great deal depends on how Kazakhstan recovers from the disorder and orients itself toward the changing international security terrain.

Officially, 227 people were killed in “Bloody January” and nearly 1,000 remain in detention. But what really happened?