Kazakhstan News and Discussions

[caltrek]

Kazakhstan Death Toll Rises to 164, US-Russia Talks Start in Geneva
by Cain Burdeau
January 10, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/kazakhst ... in-geneva/

Introduction:

(Courthouse News) — American and Russian diplomats on Monday began a week of high-stakes talks to defuse tensions between NATO and Moscow and avert a major war in Europe.

Last week's bloody uprising in Kazakhstan hangs over the talks and makes for a lethal reminder of just how dangerous of an economic, social and geopolitical cocktail Russia and other former Soviet states have become and shows the potential for the world's great powers – China, Russia, the United States and the European Union – to stumble into catastrophic conflict.

By Monday, the death toll from the mass protests and riots against the authoritarian Kazakhstan regime rose to 164 civilians, according to news reports and health officials. Sixteen police officers were killed and more than 1,300 others were injured, the Russian news agency Tass reported. More than 1,000 civilians were injured too.

The uprising took place in Almaty, the country's largest city close to the Chinese border, and in other cities, causing extensive destruction. The government said 1,270 businesses were damaged, more than 100 shopping malls and banks were looted and about 500 police cars were burned. Key administrative buildings, including a presidential palace and mayor's office in Almaty, were burned.

As Russian and American diplomats sat down for talks in Geneva to rekindle mechanisms for cooperation and understanding, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared the violence the result of a coup d'etat attempt and Russian President Vladimir Putin indirectly accused the U.S. of being behind the unrest.

[Yuli Ban]

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed constitutional reforms to limit the powers of his office, saying the country needed to switch from “superpresidential” rule to a presidential republic with a strong parliament.

Tokayev was elected president in 2019 with the backing of his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had resigned after running the oil-rich nation for 30 years, but retained sweeping powers until recently.

[wjfox]

IBAHRI welcomes the abolition of the death penalty in Kazakhstan

Friday 24 June 2022

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) commends the Republic of Kazakhstan for its ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR-OP2), aiming at the abolition of the death penalty without reservation. With the ICCPR-OP2 entering into force today, 24 June 2022, Kazakhstan becomes the 90th State Party to it.

IBAHRI Co-Chair, and Immediate Past Secretary General of the Swedish Bar Association, Anne Ramberg Dr Jur hc, stated: ‘The death penalty is an abhorrent practice that has no place in the modern world. The IBAHRI applauds the Parliament and President of Kazakhstan’s commendable decision to fully abolish the death penalty by ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We hope that other countries will follow Kazakhstan’s example and put an end to the death penalty in both law and in practice.’

Kazakhstan has had a moratorium on executions since 2003. On 23 September 2020, the Republic of Kazakhstan signed the ICCPR-OP2, committing to eradicate the death penalty. On 23 December 2021, the Senate, the upper chamber of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, approved a bill titled ‘On Introduction of Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan Concerning Abolition of the Death Penalty.’ On 29 December 2021, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, signed the bill into law, thereby removing the death penalty for all crimes stipulated in the Criminal Code and replacing it with life imprisonment.

Mark Stephens CBE, IBAHRI Co-Chair commented: ‘The IBAHRI welcomes Kazakhstan’s decision to fully abolish the capital punishment. There are several reasons for abolition including that when wrongful convictions occur, they cannot be reversed. Innocent people remain dead. They cannot be brought back to life. Also, studies have shown that the death penalty does not have a deterrent effect on crime. The IBAHRI believes that no state should have the right to take the life of any of its citizens. As stated in Article 3 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.’

https://www.ibanet.org/IBAHRI-welcomes- ... Kazakhstan

[caltrek]

Why Pope Francis Chose to Highlight Religious Freedom During His Visit to Kazakhstan
by J. Eugen Clay
September 20, 2022

Introduction:

(The Conversation) Pope Francis spent three days in Kazakhstan, starting Sept. 13, 2022, to attend the Seventh Congress of World and Traditional Religions. The pope met with religious leaders, called for increased religious freedom and condemned religious justifications for war and violence.

The pope’s appeal for peace in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan was especially significant in light of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which he called “senseless.”

Most Christians in Kazakhstan belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill, has justified the Russian invasion as a moral crusade. Francis had hoped to meet with Kirill, who chose not to attend the congress. In Kirill’s absence, Francis addressed his remarks to the Russian Orthodox delegation.

As a scholar who has spent over 30 years studying Christianity in the former Soviet Union, I’ve followed the pope’s visit with keen interest. He has chosen to highlight the causes of peace and religious freedom – matters of particular concern to Kazakhstan’s Catholic minority.

Christianity in Kazakhstan

Although Kazakhstan is predominantly Muslim, over 4 million Kazakhstanis profess Christianity. This represents over a quarter of the country’s total population of 19 million. Over 80% of Kazakhstan’s Christians are ethnic Russians.

Read more here: https://theconversation.com/why-pope-f ... an-190623

[weatheriscool]

Why Pope Francis Chose to Highlight Religious Freedom During His Visit to Kazakhstan
by J. Eugen Clay
September 20, 2022

Introduction:

(The Conversation) Pope Francis spent three days in Kazakhstan, starting Sept. 13, 2022, to attend the Seventh Congress of World and Traditional Religions. The pope met with religious leaders, called for increased religious freedom and condemned religious justifications for war and violence.

The pope’s appeal for peace in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan was especially significant in light of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which he called “senseless.”

Most Christians in Kazakhstan belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill, has justified the Russian invasion as a moral crusade. Francis had hoped to meet with Kirill, who chose not to attend the congress. In Kirill’s absence, Francis addressed his remarks to the Russian Orthodox delegation.

As a scholar who has spent over 30 years studying Christianity in the former Soviet Union, I’ve followed the pope’s visit with keen interest. He has chosen to highlight the causes of peace and religious freedom – matters of particular concern to Kazakhstan’s Catholic minority.

Christianity in Kazakhstan

Although Kazakhstan is predominantly Muslim, over 4 million Kazakhstanis profess Christianity. This represents over a quarter of the country’s total population of 19 million. Over 80% of Kazakhstan’s Christians are ethnic Russians.

Read more here: https://theconversation.com/why-pope-f ... an-190623

Maybe it has something to do with the reality that islam doesn't get along with christianity and it never has???

[caltrek]

^^^Ornament of the World is subtitled How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain. Arguably, in the United States such coexistence also exists, although extremist elements within the Republican party (led by Donald Trump) seem bent on reversing any progress made on that front.

What I came here to post:

Influx of Russians Fleeing Mobilization Increasingly Alienating Central Asians
by Paul Goble
October 12, 2022

Introduction:

(Eurasia Review) More than half of the estimated 700,000 Russians who have fled since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared partial mobilization on September 21 have mainly gone to four countries in Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—among the relatively few places Russians can still enter freely without visas (Forbes.ru, October 4). Most of these arrivals plan to move on to other countries—and indeed, many already have—or ultimately return to Russia after Putin leaves the scene. But, at the moment, both those in transit and those who stay for a longer period are creating problems for national citizens and governments, exacerbating tensions between the titular nations and ethnic Russians in each state and between the governments of these countries and the Russian Federation.

The influx of Russians into the Republic of Georgia (53,000) and European Union members (66,000) has attracted more attention with regard to both the problems they have created for the host nations and the anger of the populations and actions of officials in both places to restrict such immigration (Fontanka.ru, September 27; blocked, September 27; Novaya gazeta, October 5). But the numbers flowing into Central Asia has been far larger—over 200,000 into Kazakhstan, just under that figure into Uzbekistan and much smaller flows into Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. (Turkmenistan, as in almost all cases, remains largely closed to this flow.) Many of these Russians are moving on: The Kazakhstani government says that almost 75 percent of those who have entered since September 21 have since done so (Kommersant, October 4). Even so, large numbers remain and are creating serious problems.

Many Central Asians initially welcomed the influx of Russians opposed to the war in Ukraine, seeing them as allies within Russia against any plans by Putin to attack or absorb their countries in the future. Yet, from the outset, some officials in many of these countries appeared to fear that the more independent-minded Russians who have arrived could cause problems for their authoritarian regimes in the future (Forbes.ru, October 4).

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/12102022 ... analysis/

[caltrek]

Middle Corridor: Eurasia Optimized
by Zhuldyz Ramazanova
January 30, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurasia Review) In our globally interconnected world, roads are the arteries of economic progress. Thus, recent incidents, such as attacks by the Yemeni Houthis on cargo ships in the Suez Canal, emphasize the critical importance of secure transportation routes. As global attention pivots, the spotlight now converges on the Central Asian region—an important nexus able to interlink diverse corners of the world. In a period characterized by ever-increasing geopolitical tensions, the emergence of the Middle Corridor, as an alternative to established trade norms, isn’t merely an economic prospect – it is a transformative force that can switch powers and roles.

Throughout history, bridging the gap between Asia and Europe has been a persistent global interest – to enable or to prevent in its few possible modes (land or sea, warm sea – cold sea). The Northern Corridor, once a main land trade route, is experiencing a decline due to geopolitical tensions and Russia’s actions in Ukraine polarizing the world. The road under Russian control is losing its appeal for the west (at least for the time being), exacerbating the need for alternative and more stable pathways. North-South Corridor which was largely analyzed by the IFIMES researcher Lorenzo Somigli is another important road connecting Europe and East Asia.

Yet the Middle Corridor weaves a transformative thread that passes through strategic countries like Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, offering numerous economic opportunities. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in their last year publication concluded that the Central Trans-Caspian Network (CTCN) that goes through Southern Kazakhstan is the most sustainable alternative for establishing a connection between Asia and Europe (2023).

The interest in this transport route lies, first of all, in the potential opportunity to reduce the time in which goods can be delivered from East Asia to Europe, which will be only twelve days. In comparison, the Northern Corridor takes nineteen days to complete, while the traditional sea pathway through the Indian Ocean takes up to thirty-seven days (Jafarova, 2023).

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/30012024 ... nalysis/