Kazakhstan allows small pro-democracy rallies in rare step towards tolerating critics

Kazakhstan allows small pro-democracy rallies in rare step towards tolerating critics

Kazakh protesters in Almaty facing off against riot police during one of the presidential election protests earlier this year. / YouTube: 7gJ0C8TvVLM, Al-Jazeera.

By bne IntelliNews September 2, 2019

Activists of the recently established "Oyan, Qazaqstan" (Wake up, Kazakhstan) pro-democracy movement, mostly made up of Kazakhs in their teens and 20s, held small-scale rallies in several Kazakh cities on August 30, after the government allowed limited public rallies called for pro-democracy youth activists.

Public protests, even since the demise of the Soviet Union three decades ago, have effectively been treated as illegal in the Central Asian nation—the Kazakh government’s new approach appears to represent a softening of its attitude. The unofficial members of the "Oyan, Qazaqstan" group were among the many who took part in presidential election day protests in June, when around 4,000 people were arrested across the country. But the small protests on August 30 stood in contrast to those in June, as police stood on the sidelines and did not interfere with the non-violent demonstrations.

The youth activists demanded constitutional reforms and a switch to a parliamentary republic—some carried banners quoting the articles of the constitution.

The movement emerged after 79-year-old former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned abruptly in March and endorsed his ally President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev as his successor as a shoo-in candidate.

#Kazakhstan #democracy #OyanQazaqstan #Tokayev #CAsia

Read in IntelliNews Pro

Get IntelliNews Pro

Related Articles

Russia’s expulsions of migrants reportedly nearly double in 2024 to around 80,000

Russia in 2024 expelled more than 80,000 migrants for immigration rule violations, compared to 44,200 in 2023 and 26,600 in 2022, TASS reported on January 8. The Russian state news agency cited a ... more

Kazakhstan’s transit of Russian oil to Uzbekistan and China amounts to 10.2mn tonnes in 2024

Russia’s transit of oil through Kazakhstan’s pipeline system, operated by main pipeline operator KazTransOil, to China and Uzbekistan totalled 10.21mn tonnes in 2024, ... more

Silk Road tourist train to connect Tashkent, Turkestan and Almaty

Kazakhstan has launched the “Silk Road” train tour, connecting Tashkent, Turkestan and Almaty. The inaugural journey was set to depart on November 16. The four-day tour, ... more

Dismiss

Chat with usLiveChat