World Uyghur Congress Slams Kazakhstan's Sentencing of Activists

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has criticized Kazakhstan for sentencing 19 Kazakh activists, labeling it a severe blow to civic freedoms and attributing it to growing external pressures from China. The WUC's statement, disseminated via social media platform X, highlighted that the activists were tied to the Nagyz Atajurt Volunteers Group and faced legal action for their involvement in a November 2025 protest.

The protest aimed to draw attention to alleged human rights violations against Kazakh and other Turkic groups in East Turkistan, also calling for the release of Kazakh national Alimnur Turganbay, who has been reportedly detained by Chinese authorities since mid-2025 under dubious circumstances. According to the WUC, findings from Human Rights Watch indicate that the activists' convictions were solely a repercussion of their non-violent advocacy activities, raising alarms over this criminalization of peaceful protest.

This development, described by the WUC as 'deeply concerning,' illustrates a worrying trend of constricted civil liberties within Kazakhstan. The organization emphasized increased targeting of those spotlighting alleged abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in China's Xinjiang region, risking further isolation of affected community members and diminishing international advocacy efforts. Kazakhstan's global image as a proponent of fundamental rights is now under scrutiny, with the WUC urging for the activists' release and a reassessment of Kazakhstan's commitment to upholding civil freedoms.