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#ForSaltanat: The Quest for Justice in Domestic Violence Cases in Kazakhstan

In the spring of 2024, the televised murder trial of Kuandyk Bishimbayev, Kazakhstan’s former Minister of the National Economy, captivated viewers across the country. Bishimbayev was found guilty of the brutal murder of his wife, Saltanat Nukenova, in a restaurant in Astana, and sentenced to 24 years in prison. Comparisons to the O.J. Simpson trial of 1995 were inevitable. Both trials involved a prominent figure — in this case, a politician previously pardoned by President Nursultan Nazarbayev after serving time for corruption — a victim who had endured domestic abuse, and a massive viewership. Bishimbayev's trial underscored public fascination with the case, driven not only by its reality TV appeal but by a growing awareness of deeply ingrained gender inequities, particularly regarding the societal expectations placed on Kazakh women within marriage. The trial’s timing occurred shortly before — and perhaps by no coincidence — new legislation was signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on April 15, 2024, amending laws to protect the rights and safety of women and children. However, critics noted an omission: a clear, targeted focus on preventing domestic violence. Two Kazakh women, who shared their stories with The Times of Central Asia, revealed the extent to which domestic violence remains embedded in Kazakh society. Rayana, from Astana, and Aliya, a Kazakh student in New York City, have never met, yet their stories echo shared challenges and hopes for change in their home country. Rayana, a beauty industry professional in her mid-twenties, reflected on her brief and tumultuous marriage, which began when she was 23. “I loved my husband, but felt it was too early to marry. We married just four months after meeting, and within a month of living together, I wanted a divorce. He was unfaithful and violent.” When Rayana sought help from her mother-in-law, she was told that her mother-in-law had also been a victim of domestic violence and that she, too, must learn to endure it. “It is worth mentioning that in Kazakhstan the north is very different from the south,” Rayana added. “I'm a northerner, he's a southerner. I had never experienced abuse before, and then for the first time, I felt a panic attack, which I still live with. In the south, people adhere more to traditions and have a negative attitude towards divorce and washing their dirty linen in public. Women keep silent about domestic violence. I can’t say anything about his family’s attitude. I still don’t fully understand.” Having grown up around domestic violence, she believes that one in two families is affected by it. After separating, Rayana’s family offered her support, while her in-laws disapproved, even throwing out her belongings. Rayana’s life since then, however, has vastly improved. “I have been working in the beauty industry for a long time. In our field, at least, climbing the career ladder is not difficult. My first supervisor helped me a lot. He spoke fondly of his wife and cared about his female employees. This gives us faith that there are good men...

soccer Legislation EAEU Sports

Kazakhstan Sports Anticipates Influx of Russian and Belarusian Athletes

Kazakhstan's lower house of parliament, the Mazhilis, has approved in its first reading a bill on physical culture and sports that would ban the funding of foreign athletes (legionnaires) from the state budget and national companies with government stakes. However, even if this bill is enacted, Kazakh sports teams will retain a legal avenue to invite athletes from Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries using public funds. For the first time, Kazakhstan’s national legislature is proposing a provision prohibiting the use of state funds to finance athletes who are not citizens of Kazakhstan, with the goal of prioritizing Kazakh athletes in terms of both sports representation and financial support. Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerbol Myrzabasynov has also suggested setting a cap on state funding for professional sports clubs, which would vary by sport according to national priorities. “The freed funds will be redirected towards children’s and youth sports, including boarding schools, youth sports schools, sports reserves, and facility upgrades,” Myrzabasynov explained. The bill was approved in the first reading. Currently, government funding for sports clubs in Kazakhstan comes from two main sources. Teams competing internationally, such as the Barys hockey team in the Continental Hockey League, the Astana basketball team in the VTB United League, and the Astana cycling team in the World Tour, receive support from the Samruk-Kazyna fund. Other teams in soccer, hockey, basketball, and volleyball competing in Kazakhstan’s national championships are funded by local budgets, with Astana’s soccer team - which also receives sponsorship from the Samruk-Kazyna fund - being the sole exception. Should the bill pass, these teams will need to rely on Kazakh athletes — or athletes from EAEU countries such as Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. The Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, enacted in January 2015, promotes the free movement of services, goods, capital, and labor across member states, ensuring equal labor rights and remuneration for citizens of EAEU countries. This treaty means that Kazakh clubs cannot restrict funding for athletes from EAEU nations without breaching international commitments. In Kazakh soccer, for instance, EAEU athletes are not counted as foreign players in the Premier League, a policy instituted after the Kazakhstan Football Federation set a limit on foreign players several years ago, capping each team’s roster at eight foreign players per season. Athletes from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan, however, are treated as domestic players due to Kazakhstan’s international obligations. This arrangement stems from Kazakhstan’s Law on Legal Acts, which stipulates that ratified international treaties take precedence over national laws. Therefore, if the bill banning foreign athletes' funding from the state budget is fully enacted, EAEU athletes will remain exempt from this ban. The bill must still pass through a second reading in the Mazhilis, two readings in the Senate, and obtain presidential approval before it becomes law. Questions remains as to whether Kazakh sports clubs will use this provision to hire athletes from EAEU countries, given potential legal challenges. Local administrations (akimats) who would be affected by any restrictions on funding for...

Economic Growth State Budget Government Parliament Legislation Economy

Government Reports Steady Economic Growth in Kyrgyzstan

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Japarov announced in parliament on November 14 that Kyrgyzstan's GDP exceeded a historical high of 1.3 trillion KGS in 2023 and is projected to reach 1.5 trillion KGS ($17.35 billion) by the end of the year. Presenting the state budget execution for 2023 and the draft budget for 2025, Japarov reported a 9% real GDP growth rate for 2023, consistent with the growth rate in 2022. For context, Kyrgyzstan’s GDP growth was 7% in 2021. Japarov offered a conservative forecast for 2024, predicting 9.2% GDP growth. “If we divide GDP per capita, then in 2020, this figure was $1,200, and in 2024, it will exceed $2,500,” he noted. The average monthly wage in Kyrgyzstan has risen steadily from $239 (20,249 KGS) in 2021 to $316 (26,620 KGS) in 2022 and $376 in 2023. By the end of 2024, it is expected to reach $415 (35,791 KGS). From January to September 2024, Kyrgyzstan’s foreign trade volume was $12.1 billion, an 8.4% increase. Exports grew by 28.2%, totaling $2.8 billion, while imports rose by 3.7%, amounting to $9.3 billion. Inflation has significantly decreased, dropping from 14.7% in 2022 to 7.3% in 2023, and reaching 4.2% from January to October 2024. Japarov also highlighted the growth of Kyrgyzstan’s industrial sector, attributing it to investments and government support. By the end of 2024, more than 150 new enterprises are expected to open, with total investment projected at $2.2 billion and an estimated 19,000 jobs created. Further, for the first time since independence, Kyrgyzstan has started producing cars, standard gold bars, and new types of medicines. In the energy sector, Japarov reported that small hydroelectric power plants with a combined capacity of 48.3 MW were brought online in 2024. Additionally, solar and wind power projects are underway, alongside the reconstruction of the Toktogul hydroelectric power plant, the country’s largest.

Legislation LGBTQ+ Propaganda Party Politics internal affairs Tramp

Uzbekistan Drafting Law to Ban LGBT “Propaganda”

Alisher Qodirov, leader of Uzbekistan's Milliy Tiklanish (National Revival) party, has announced that a draft law banning the discussion of LGBT topics is being prepared in Uzbekistan. Qodirov shared this news on his Telegram channel, where he also referenced a social media post by Ivanka Trump, daughter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who highlighted her father’s plan to cut federal funding for schools promoting "inappropriate sexual content" and "transgender ideology." Qodirov commented: “The change in the center of the disease is very good,” suggesting his support for similar measures in Uzbekistan. He added: “We are working on adopting a law prohibiting any kind of propaganda in this regard,” though he did not elaborate further. In the past, Qodirov has also advocated for banning Soviet ideology and symbols in Uzbekistan. This stance followed a recent case in Samarkand, where a pensioner wishing to restore the Soviet Union received a three-year restricted freedom sentence for actions deemed a threat to Uzbekistan’s constitutional order.

zoo Culture Government Legislation

Uzbekistan Bans the Use of Animals in Circus Performances

From January 1, 2025, Uzbekistan will ban the use of wild animals in circus performances. This law will affect all circuses, including traveling ones. The ban also restricts individuals' right to keep wild animals at home. The list of animals who must not be allowed to perform in circuses was published on the UzA's Telegram feed. These animals can be kept only in specialized institutions such as zoos, terrariums, and oceanariums established by legal entities with a permit from the Ministry of Ecology. Several countries have laws prohibiting the use of wild animals in circus performances. Corresponding bans are adopted in most European countries, Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as in many states of the USA and Canada, in Israel, China, Singapore, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Iran, Chile, El Salvador, Ecuador, Australia, India, Taiwan, and many other countries. Kazakhstan will ban petting zoos and dolphinariums from January 1, 2025. In Russia, a bill to restrict the use of animals in circuses was discussed in 2023, but the final decision has yet to be made.

Education Legislation Parliament life and culture Children Rights

Kazakhstan Working On a Bill to Ban Quadrobers

Mazhilis deputy Daulet Mukayev has said Kazakhstan is working on a bill to ban quadrobers. The spread of this hobby, where young people imitate animals, could have a detrimental effect on the younger generation, he stated. “In 2024, quadrobics has undergone a major change. While it used to be more like a sporting challenge, now quadrobers wear animal masks, tails, and paws. If we don't take action, we risk losing a whole generation,” Mukayev said in response to journalists' inquiries to the Telegram channel, Buzyq. Mukayev emphasized that the problem is also a concern in other countries, and parents, society, and the state should work together to solve it. The deputy added that the development of legislative measures and strengthening control over social networks has already begun. However, the deputy did not give precise information about the agencies that initiated this bill. A request for a comment was sent to the Mazhilis press service, which replied that they had not yet received such a piece of legislation. Earlier, Mukayev had characterized quadrobers as a potentially dangerous social phenomenon and called for a study into the phenomenon, stating that the Mazhilis would develop laws against quadrobing if necessary. However, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture considers quadrobics a temporary fad and stated that its main task remains to ensure the safety of teenagers who participate in this trend. Quadrobics is an unofficial sport in which participants move on all fours and imitate the habits of animals in costumes. The movement has already been seen in Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine. Recent cases of this behavior have also been reported in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where a teenager wearing an animal mask scared passersby on October 10. The next day, another quadrober imitating a dog attacked passengers on public transport, scaring children. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that the Kyrgyz authorities are trying to curb the growing interest of teenagers in quadrobics. Uzbekistan is also taking steps to control the issue, where parents are being warned of fines for inappropriate behavior by teenagers. In Russia, the issue of administrative responsibility for parents who do not take responsibility for the upbringing of their children who become overtly interested in quadrobics has also been raised. The problem has not yet been resolved, but a request to the State Duma has requested fines and criminal liability for such actions. In addition, Gennady Shkil, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, suggested in a sermon that fathers and mothers of quadrobers should be deprived of parental rights. Shkil stated that “tough measures” are needed “for the salvation of mankind.”