Bloody January

Three years after announcing a “New Kazakhstan,” has Tokayev truly changed Central Asia’s leading economy?​ 

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.

Kyrgyz jazz musician Vikram Ruzakhunov was detained, tortured, and forced to make a false confession amid the chaos of the January 2022 events. It’s yet to be seen if justice will be ultimately served.

Despite two era-defining moments occurring in the five years since Nazarbayev’s resignation, continuity is the main feature of governance in Kazakhstan.

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

Kazakh legislation allows various government entities to slow and stop internet traffic, as occurred to tragic ends in January 2022. A group of NGOs wants the practice stopped for good.

Kazakh President Tokayev said in tweet that it was the “duty” of all to “learn the terrible lessons of the past and do everything possible so that such events do not happen again in the future.” What about the present?

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

Mamai’s prison sentence was suspended, but the Kazakh government has nevertheless silenced him.

An attack on a journalist highlights the difficult environment for the press.

As expected, following last summer’s constitutional referendum dropping references to “elbasy,” many of the First President’s other special privileges are ending.

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 new version of Kazakhstan’s military doctrine signals that Astana intends to hold fast to the principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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.

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