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Elbasy No More: Monument to Nazarbayev Removed From National Museum

In a further sign of the dismantling of the cult of personality which the first President of Kazakhstan strove to build around himself, a monument to Nursultan Nazarbayev has been removed from the National Museum of Kazakhstan in Astana. According to the Minister of Culture and Information, the decision was made in relation to the modernization of the exhibition space. "This exhibit is the property of the museum, and in connection with the changes in the concept of the hall, [the monument] will be moved into permanent storage in the Museum Fund", the National Museum said in a statement. Renovation work has already begun at the hall of the National Museum which depicts "Independent Kazakhstan." The hall hasn’t been updated since 2014, and the management intends to highlight important events from the recent history of the country. The National Museum of Kazakhstan was built upon a direct order from former President Nazarbayev within the framework of a government program called "Cultural Heritage." It is the largest museum in the country, with its buildings occupying a total area of 74,000 square meters, with an exposition area adding another 14,000 square meters. The statue of Nazarbayev first appeared in the museum in July 2018. Above the sculpture of the former president a placard in Kazakh in Latin script reads, "My dream is for Kazakhstan to be an eternal country. Time will pass; people will pass - but independence will remain. The first president of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Elbasy (leader of the nation), Nursultan Nazarbayev." Could this mark the beginning of a wider trend? This is not the first time a monument to Nazarbayev has been removed. During the events of January 2022, a statue of the first president was demolished during riots in Taldykorgan. Later, another monument to Nazarbayev was removed from the National Defense University in Astana, and a picture of Nazarbayev which hung in the Almaty subway was also removed. In January 2023, the law on the first president and leader of the nation, which granted lifetime benefits and privileges to Nazarbayev was rescinded by the Constitutional Court. Earlier this year, a provocative exhibition by artist, Yerbosyn Meldibekov, about the fall of the ex-president and monuments to him was installed in the House of Officers, a military-cultural building in Almaty. Monuments and busts of Soviet-era leaders and revolutionaries in Kazakhstan still stand in parks and various buildings, though often no longer on central pedestals. As of 2021, there were still 159 statues commemorating Lenin, the majority of which are found in regions with a high-density of ethnic Russians, including Pavlodar and Akmola, and in the North Kazakhstan Region, where ethnic Russians outnumber Kazakhs, but since the fall of the Soviet Union, 341 had been demolished. Another lasting symbol of a cult of personality can be found among representatives of law enforcement agencies, who still revere the so-called "Godfather of the Chekists," Felix Dzerzhinsky. In the East Kazakhstan Region, which has an extremely high-density of ethnic Russians, a bust of...

Central Asia Home Justice Kazakhstan Justice Kazakhstan Features

Domestic Violence Victims Can Now Obtain EU Refugee Status After Ruling

Women who have suffered from domestic violence have the right to seek asylum in European Union (EU) countries, according to an EU Court of Justice ruling on January 16th. Anyone who has been subjected to physical and psychological violence, including sexual or domestic violence, can apply. If the those who apply do not meet the conditions for refugee status, they can claim additional measures of protection. Refugee status may already be granted to third-country nationals who are persecuted on racial, religious, or national grounds, as well as on the basis of political convictions or membership of a particular social group. According to the judges, threats from relatives "because of an alleged violation of cultural, religious or traditional norms" may qualify. Consequently, genital mutilation or forced marriage are often reasons for absconding, which women will have to disclose to authorities at the first interview. The EU came to this decision after the story of a Turkish national, a girl of Kurdish origin was forcibly married by her family. In the marriage, she was beaten and threatened by her husband, but managed to escape. The woman, who feared that her life would be in danger if she returned to Turkey, sought help and asked for international protection in Bulgaria. The local justices then referred the case to the Court of Justice of the EU. Karl Kopp, a migration expert for Pro Asyl - an independent human rights organization that advocates for the rights of refugees in Europe and Germany - said that the outcome is positive, and more women will be able to receive protection in the future. At present, Kazakhstan is discussing the issue of toughening punishment for domestic violence. A joint study by the Union of Crisis Centers and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation found that in 2021, the public safety authorities of Kazakhstan received almost 115,000 complaints of domestic violence. Of these, only 40% of cases made it to court, whilst 39% of perpetrators got off with sentences that restricted their freedom for periods ranging from two hours to three days.

Central Asia Local Politics Kazakhstan

The Global Family: How Would-Be Parents From Abroad Adopt Kazakhstani Children

Children from Kazakhstan are mainly adopted by citizens of European countries, the USA and Canada, according to the Ministry of Education, which recently discussed some of the changing trends in the adoption of children from Kazakhstan. There are two types of adoption procedure in the country: adoption by citizens of Kazakhstan or adoption by citizens of other countries. The number of Kazakh children adopted by foreign citizens has decreased significantly over the last decade -- from 2013 to 2023 only 158 Kazakh children were adopted abroad, compared with 8,805 children in the period from 1999 to 2011. Since 2013 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has controlled the process of foreign families adopting children from Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Education emphasizes that foreign citizens can only adopt a child if the chance to adopt them was refused by relatives who are citizens of Kazakhstan -- or if the child does not have any relatives. The ministry also explained that adoption of children by foreign nationals is only permitted to citizens of a country that has child-protection legislation that is on par with that in Kazakhstan. Children adopted by foreign citizens are registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before leaving Kazakhstan.

Central Asia Uzbekistan Environment Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Rare Ancient Trees Cut Down Illegally Once Again

Illegal tree felling has been reported in Uzbekistan again, with one of the country's rare and ancient types of tree -- the "Chinar," also known as an Old Sycamore or Oriental Plane (platanus orientalis) -- falling victim. Six of these trees were cut down without a permit. This particular incident occurred in the Andijan region, as reported by the press service of the regional department of ecology. The prosecutor's office has already initiated a criminal case under the relevant articles of Uzbekistan's criminal code. The incident occurred despite the fact that the country has had a moratorium in place on cutting down valuable species of trees and shrubs since 2019. However, developers persistently ignore the laws.

Central Asia Kazakhstan Kazakhstan International Affairs

U.S.-Kazakhstan Relations: Trade Revenue Has Risen to Record Highs, But Investments From U.S. Side Have Fallen

According to Kazakhstan's Bureau of National Statistics, at the end of 2023 in Kazakhstan there were more than 50,000 enterprises with joint and foreign ownership. The number of legal entities and subsidiaries from the U.S. increased by 10.5% annually, with that number reaching 495 organizations. The lion's share falls to wholesale and retail trade, and parts for cars and motorcycles. Investors and businesses from the U.S. also open in Kazakhstan companies in the fields of professional, scientific and technical activity, as well as information technology and telecommunications. Slightly less activity is found in the financial, industrial, education and construction spheres. Most of the companies are located in the cultural capital of Almaty -- or the financial and political capital, Astana. Enterprises are also based in regions oriented towards extraction of energy and minerals, such as Atyrau, Karaganda and Mangistau. 2023 U.S.-Kazakhstan bilateral trade turnover reached a record high of $4bn, an increase of one-third over 2022. The main goods sent to the USA are oil, ferroalloys, sulfur, phosphorus, tantalum, lead, and uranium. Kazakhstan buys airplanes, cars and engines, medicines, as well as poultry meat and other products. Despite the positive trade figures, investments have decreased slightly. For 2023 they amounted to more than $3bn, which is half of what it was a year ago. The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that the U.S. is still among the three main investors in the Kazakh economy, along with the Netherlands and Switzerland. A special place in the relations between the two countries remains for international exchange programs. The most popular is Work & Travel, under which Kazakhstani students can go to the U.S. to work. Some end up staying for permanent residence. "My dream since childhood has been to go to America. And five years ago I took part in the Work & Travel program. I went to Wisconsin. I worked hard in order to earn as much as possible and then go to New York. I'll tell you right away, from the first day I was delighted. Of course, I was very tired, there were a lot of insurance costs and so on. But from the very first days I realized that I wanted to stay here. I like the high standard of living in the country. You can see it in medicine, culture. After the program ended, I really missed that life and travel. But I was able not only to realize my dream [of visiting], but even more -- to move. Now I have [received] my diploma, I work as an administrator in a medical center. A year ago I got married. I have big plans," said Indira Akhmetova, a former migrant worker. She has been living in the United States for seven years, got married and received American citizenship. A few issues that do weigh on Indira's American life are the expensive medical care and taxes compared to Kazakhstan. "It's scary to get sick here. If you don't have insurance, you have to pay for years...

Central Asia Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Business & Economy

Uzbekneftegaz Partners With Canadian Firm Condor Energies

JSC Uzbekneftegaz and Canadian energy company Condor Energies have agreed to jointly increase output at eight producing gas condensate fields in Uzbekistan. Condor says it will use the same advanced technologies and operational methods used in Western Canada. Work is planned to start in the first quarter of 2024 after the project's feasibility study is complete. The agreement will make Condor Uzbekneftegaz's first Western strategic operating partner. That not only ensures an increase in the country's domestic natural gas supply, but will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The work is expected to provide a significant number of jobs in Uzbekistan. Condor Energies intends to earn a percentage of net profits by assuming all project costs. Despite the fact that Uzbekistan is introducing green technologies into its energy-production mix, natural gas remains the key source of fuel in the republic. The country's total gas reserves are estimated at almost 1.9 trillion cubic meters. Uzbekistan has 296 oil & gas fields, 122 of which belong to Uzbekneftegaz. Gas reserves in them amount to 933 billion cubic meters. The largest of these is the Mubarak field, where 33% of the aforementioned volume of gas, or about 305 billion cubic meters, is concentrated. In 2023 the country's gas production fell 9.6% year-on-year to 46.7 billion cubic meters. Uzbekistan has thus flipped from being a net exporter to a net importer of natural gas. The republic now buys gas from Turkmenistan and Russia.