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Kazakhstan’s Bolashak Program: More Trouble Than It’s Worth?

In 1993, Nursultan Nazarbayev, the first president of Kazakhstan, established the Bolashak ('Future' in Kazakh) International Scholarship. Its goal was to help gifted Kazakhstani youth obtain a high-quality foreign education. However, the program is currently mired in scandals with alarming regularity. Of course, most of these clickbait stories are minor — such as a 2022 incident with the famous singer Dimash Qudaibergen. He was selected for the Bolashak Program and went abroad before changing his mind. He tried to transfer the scholarship to someone else but was forced to return the money to the state. Still, several cases indicate that behind the scenes at the Center for International Programs, which administers the scholarship, something is not right. So far, no one has intervened – the program is still running – but the latest scandal could attract the attention of Kazakhstan's president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. And he has already expressed dissatisfaction with some of the conditions of the scholarship. Getting the president’s attention Let’s unpack the current scandal, which has to be extinguished by a senior official such as the minister of education and science. Kazakhstani Natalya Vorobyova recorded a video message to Tokayev, saying that in 2016, she and her colleague Makpal Daribaeva acted as debt guarantors for her former colleague Valeria Gavrilenko, who had completed the Bolashak Program. According to Vorobyova, Gavrilenko “in 2019, conspiring with the center’s employees… illegally withdrew two apartments [that had been pledged to the center] as collateral and went off to live in the UK.” Now, her debt – graduates of the program are required to work in Kazakhstani government agencies for 3-5 years (depending on the region) – has to be repaid by the guarantors, i.e., by Vorobyova and Daribaeva. They owe about KZT30 million ($60,000). The press service of the Center for International Programs explained that since Gavrilenko evaded paying off the debt, the agreement transferred it to the guarantors. Just days later, on May 30, Sayasat Nurbek, who heads Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education and Science, intervened, saying that an agreement had been reached with Gavrilenko whereby she would pay off her debt, with a corresponding agreement already signed by her. “Since Gavrilenko took it upon herself to fully return the money, an agreement was signed with her, and she has begun to pay back the money. Accordingly, the claims against the guarantors are withdrawn. Nevertheless, we were forced to initiate a case against all three obligation-bearers. We were forced to do this because they are jointly liable under the law. If Gavrilenko pays the full amount, the claims against the guarantors will be dropped. Unfortunately, they seem to have been advised incorrectly. They felt threatened that they would be forced to pay full damages. Today, we are concentrating all claims on Gavrilenko,” Nurbek said in the Senate as he was answering questions from journalists. As for the third party in this scandal – which, according to the minister, is also responsible – it is the former president of the Center for International...

Nazarbayev In-Law, Askar Kulibayev’s Oil Terminal Seized

Representatives of the General Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan have reported that an oil terminal in the port of Aktau belonging to Askar Kulibayev has been returned to the state. The 134-hectare property is valued at $66 million. “It was established that in 2011, the oil terminal was alienated into the ownership of Kulibayev's company. On February 26th, 2024, by the decision of the Specialized Inter-district Economic Court of Mangistau region, the claim of the Almaty city prosecutor was satisfied, and the oil terminal was returned to the state's ownership," said the supervisory body. The Almaty prosecutor's office stated that the claim was filed to compensate for the damage caused by the unlawful seizure of a foreign investor's property. However, the official message does not name the affected company. Now 87-years-old, Askar Kulibayev served as First Secretary of the Guryev (now Atyrau) Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan and as the Minister of Construction in independent Kazakhstan. He is the matchmaker of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev's daughter, and the father of Kazakhstan's richest man, Timur Kulibayev. In 2024, Timur Kulibayev and his wife Dinara Kulibayeva, still sit atop the list of the richest Kazakhs. The combined fortune of the Nazarbayev family is estimated at almost $10 billion.

Investigative Website Kloop to Remain Blocked in Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek City Court has upheld a decision to block the investigative news site Kloop.kg. Kloop's lawyer Fatima Yakupbayeva commented: “ It would be interesting to know what justified today's judicial board of the city court's ruling. We believe the decision is unlawful. A dangerous precedent is being set for online publications and everyone who disseminates information because with this court ruling [it appears] that it is possible not to address the distributor itself but to go straight to the Ministry of Culture and ask for it to be blocked. This violates the balance provided for by the law “On Protection from Inaccurate Information.” Yakupbayeva added that Kloop will appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. As previously reported, the Kloop.kg website was initially blocked as a result of an article in which the politician Ravshan Dzheenbekov stated that he was tortured while in prison. This led to a complaint by the State Committee for National Security to the Ministry of Culture. Kloop's Russian-language website has been blocked in Kyrgyzstan since September 2023. The Kyrgyz-language version was blocked two months later.

UNICEF Donates Vehicles to Distribute Vaccines in Kyrgyzstan

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and UNICEF have donated 16 vaccine transport vehicles to Kyrgyzstan. The special cars were provided to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health to increase immunization rates across the country. The vehicles will help improve the distribution of vaccines from regional to district storage facilities, ensuring their timely availability in remote regions of the country. “Vaccines against dangerous diseases such as measles, rubella, or pertussis require special storage and transportation conditions to be safe and effective. Therefore, improving this infrastructure directly affects the availability of life-saving vaccines for every child in Kyrgyzstan,” said UNICEF's acting representative in Kyrgyzstan Cristina Bruggiolo. Akchabar reports that this is the first batch of 26 vehicles that the ministry will receive. The remaining ten cars will arrive in the country by the end of July.

Turkmenistan Restricts Women From Obtaining Driving Licenses

It is becoming more and more difficult for women to drive in Turkmenistan, with requirements for obtaining a driver's license often oppressively strict. Turkmenistan has restricted women's rights for many years, including their freedom to drive a car. In 2017 Turkmen police began revoking women's driving licenses and refusing to issue them with new ones. From the beginning of 2023 women had to be over the age of 41 to learn to drive, and even then driving schools would only accept them if they provided marriage certificates and character references. It is reported that in the country's Mary region it is now almost impossible for women to drive a car. Women who already have a license can only renew it when it expires if they have a vehicle registered in their name. “Often, the cars driven by women are not registered in their name, and they use vehicles registered in the name of their brothers or husbands by power of attorney. Now they have to transfer the cars to their name or buy a new car to get a driver's license; otherwise, they will not be issued a new document,” Radio Azatlyk wrote. According to local sources, police officers are refusing to issue licenses to women under the age of 35. One resident added: “You also need a medical certificate from a psychiatric dispensary to renew your license. They are obtained in local medical institutions. The cost of renewing a driver's license will cost 200 to 400 manats ($57-$114). Mary residents said using a bribe is the easiest way to solve the problem. “Men can get a driver's license by paying a bribe of 4,000 manat ($1141), while a woman will have to pay 6,000 to 7,000 manat ($1712 to $1997),” the resident said. Turkmen officials deny any discrimination against women, and maintain that gender equality is fully respected in the country.

Uzbekistan Park Managers Arrested for Mass Distribution of Toys

The director, deputy, and head of marketing of the Ashgabat Park in Tashkent have been arrested and detained for 15 days for violating the rules of mass events.  According to Gazeta.uz reports, the arrests were made after some  40,000 people had gathered in the park in the hope of receiving free toys. The throng had responded to an advertisement circulated on social media announcing the free distribution of 20,000 soft toys and ice cream at noon on 1 June. However, according to the Department of Internal Affairs, the park's management had been pre- warned and then instructed to cancel the event because of the risks posed by a mass gathering within the park's territory and the event's  non-compliance with traffic and citizen safety guidelines. By failing to comply, the park's administration created a danger to citizens and traffic jams at the park's entrance and exit, on some internal routes, and  roads leading to the park. The Yashnabad District Department of Internal Affairs drew up an administrative protocol against the park director, deputy director, and head of the advertising department, followed by a sentence of 15 days of administrative arrest imposed by  the District Court.  The Department of Internal Affairs  also published a reminder that according to the requirements of the Cabinet of Ministers resolution of July 29, 2014 (#205),  permission to hold mass events  must be submitted one month in advance.