NGOs - The Times Of Central Asia

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Court Cases

Minister Sydykov on the Bakai Bank Verdict and Kyrgyzstan’s Economic Path Forward

On April 13 in Washington, D.C., The Times of Central Asia’s Javier M. Piedra spoke with Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Economy and Commerce, Bakyt Tolomushevich Sydykov, regarding the April 7 verdict in the “Bakai Bank vs. Open Dialogue Foundation” case before the Enterprise Court of Brussels - an important legal win for Kyrgyzstan and its stance in international financial markets. In a verdict with international implications for Kyrgyzstan and the region, the Enterprise Court of Brussels sided with Bakai Bank, a Kyrgyz financial institution, in connection with a high-profile defamation case between Bakai Bank and Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) – finding that ODF published allegations about the bank’s financial conduct without sufficient evidence. The judgment marks a significant development in a cross-border reputational and financial dispute, setting a visible bar for accountability and offering a more balanced snapshot of Kyrgyz efforts to cultivate transparency and compliance in its banking sector. Kyrgyz government officials responded to the ruling with a practical and positive outlook, acknowledging that the country has prioritized policy, monitoring, and enforcement steps to bolster integrity and trust in its institutions. This ruling is expected to reinforce public confidence and strengthen the long-term resilience of Kyrgyzstan’s governance framework. In Washington D.C. this week, Sydykov told TCA that, “We welcome this decision not just as an affirmation of Bakai Bank, but also for our broader financial system. It helps to convey our message to policymakers, diplomats, investors, and partners that Kyrgyzstan is open for business – and a ready contributor to regional and international trade. Our financial institutions operate in line with international standards, compliance expectations, and responsible governance. We are glad to move forward with strengthening our banking system and growing Kyrgyzstan’s economy for the benefit of its citizens.” Case background The proceedings were brought before the French-speaking Enterprise Court of Brussels (Tribunal de l’entreprise francophone de Bruxelles) after Bakai Bank challenged a series of publications issued by the Open Dialogue Foundation in 2023. The NGO had alleged that Bakai Bank was involved in facilitating financial transactions linked to sanctions circumvention and networks connected to Russian capital flows following the expansion of Western sanctions in early 2022. Bakai Bank rejected these allegations as unsubstantiated and damaging to its international reputation and access to financial markets. It subsequently filed a civil action in Belgium, where the ODF is active and publishes much of its advocacy material. Court proceedings and findings In its judgment, the Brussels court examined whether the Open Dialogue Foundation had sufficient factual grounds to support its published claims. The court found that the NGO’s statements were presented as factually assertive allegations rather than opinion or conjecture, thereby requiring a higher evidentiary threshold. The court concluded that the ODF had failed to provide adequate supporting evidence for its assertions regarding Bakai Bank’s alleged involvement in illicit financial activity. As a result, the court determined that the publications were unlawful in their form and impact, particularly in relation to reputational harm inflicted on the bank. The ruling ordered the ODF...

investigation

Kazakhstan Investigates Recipients of USAID Funding

Following the cancellation of USAID funding, the Kazakhstani government and parliament are scrutinizing the recipients of U.S. financial assistance. The issue has sparked significant public debate and online discussions. Deputies Demand Explanations On March 10, the U.S. administration announced the cancellation of 83% of USAID programs. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated: “After a six-week review, we are officially canceling 83% of USAID programs. The 5,200 contracts now canceled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve (and in some cases even harmed) the core national interests of the United States.” Earlier, on March 5, deputies from the People's Party of Kazakhstan (PPK) formally requested that the Minister of National Economy and the Minister of Justice conduct an audit of foreign funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Lawmakers called for transparency regarding project financing, allocated amounts, and fund usage. According to the deputies, some USAID-funded programs contradicted traditional Kazakhstani values, particularly those related to LGBT rights and feminist movements. Reports indicate that members of the parliamentary majority faction, Amanat, also supported the request. Government Investigation Underway The government's position remained unclear until March 12, when Respublika newspaper reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Jumangarin had responded to the Mazhilis on behalf of the Cabinet of Ministers. Respublika is associated with Mukhtar Ablyazov, a fugitive oligarch sentenced in absentia to a lengthy prison term in Kazakhstan. According to the report, 28 long-term USAID programs were active in Kazakhstan under bilateral agreements in 2024. In total, USAID allocated $26.5 million for projects implemented in the country between 2023 and 2024. These initiatives covered sectors such as the economy, energy, healthcare, civil society, and media. Some projects extended beyond Kazakhstan, impacting other Central Asian nations. Among the NGOs operating under USAID programs in 2024-2025 were: Public Foundation "Desenta" NGO "Kadyr-Kasiyet" Representative Office of Eurasia Foundation in Kazakhstan Representative Office of Winrock International Representative Office of Internews Network Representative Office of the American Bar Association Additionally, several government agencies collaborated with USAID. Jumangarin noted that, under Kazakhstani law, recipients of foreign funding must publish annual reports on how the funds are used. He assured deputies that the verification of USAID-funded projects would continue under a working group established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Murat Nurtleu. Funding Details Emerge Further details surfaced on March 14, with reports indicating that USAID had canceled contracts in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Two contracts in Kazakhstan were reportedly worth $2.35 million and $3.35 million. These funds were designated for the projects “Strengthening Civic Participation in Kazakhstan” and “Strengthening Human Rights and Equality.” The latter aimed to support LGBT organizations in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in advocating for human rights. This information was cited from an official USAID document. Additional media reports revealed a list of USAID grantees in 2024, including: ArtKoshe PF The YouTube channel "Hyperborey" Oksana Gabitova (Akulova) Vlast Media Group LLP DEPPA podcast Täuelhsız project Tasadagy Omir project Aftertutor IP, an online magazine focused on...

Sovereignty

Opinion: Are Kazakhstan and the U.S. Reaching Common Ground on Sovereignty and Mutual Engagement?

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has made his position clear: his country must remain sovereign, and activities to exert foreign influence should be closely monitored. The message from Astana is that cultural impositions from abroad are not welcome. Tokayev’s longstanding view that Kazakhstan’s democracy should evolve on its own terms has gained new traction with the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House. Washington's avoidance of values-based diplomacy in favor of a hard-nosed, transactional model reinforces Astana’s instincts and creates an opening for a new kind of engagement between the two. "The so-called democratic moral values," Tokayev said, "have been imposed on many countries for decades." Moreover, "under this guise, open interference in the internal affairs of states through international non-governmental organizations and foundations has become widespread. Its ultimate goal," he concluded, "is only theft, that is, pocketing billions of dollars in budgets." For decades, the U.S. policy in Central Asia was fixated on democratic governance, press freedoms, and minority rights, seeking to advance these objectives through NGO funding and media support. In principle, these directions align with Kazakhstan’s own institutional reforms. In practice, however, they became points of friction. Astana has pursued decentralization and anti-corruption measures on its own terms, so any tension with Washington did not concern governance itself. It was, rather, about Washington’s insistence on deeper cultural and political shifts. The unease was not hypothetical. It was spelled out in statements by U.S. officials visiting Kazakhstan. They "were glad to discuss key human rights issues including the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, and respect for the rights of disabled persons, members of the LGBTQI+ community, and political prisoners." Moreover, these issues were framed as non-negotiable pillars of engagement, without reference to the cultural context of Kazakhstan’s legal and political traditions. In some cases, the “political prisoners” were propped up by NGOs funded by the U.S. Government. From Washington’s perspective, these were essential democratic norms; from Astana’s, they were foreign expectations imposed from outside. In truth, Kazakhstan had seen this dynamic before. Its wariness of Western-backed NGOs was informed by patterns of events. In Astana’s view, some so-called civil society initiatives weren’t merely fostering grassroots activism. They were vehicles for political engineering. For instance, Mukhtar Ablyazov, who remains accused of embezzling $10 billion from Kazakhstan's BTA Bank, fled to Britain in the mid-2000s before escaping criminal charges to France, where he was granted asylum until being ordered to leave in 2023. Despite his history of corruption, he rebranded himself as a political opposition figure and human rights leader, cultivating a network of international NGOs and earning significant support within the European Union. As recently as February 2025, he and his NGO allies received backing from members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. A similar strategy has been employed by public figures like Bergey Ryskaliyev, Akezhan Kazhegeldin, and Karim Massimov. These individuals, despite facing criminal allegations, have amassed significant wealth that appears to have been used to fund lobbyists, NGOs, media and other...

PACE

Kazakh Activists Slam PACE Member’s Allegations

Kazakh civil activists have strongly criticized a written declaration signed by 20 of the 306 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), labeling it a “defamatory document.” Their response, representing various non-governmental organizations and public associations across Kazakhstan, accuses PACE signatories of bias, double standards, and a lack of objectivity in its assessment of human rights and democratic practices in the country. The contentious declaration, published on the PACE website on February 5, 2025, alleges that Kazakhstan has imprisoned eight political dissidents and is repressing another five individuals living abroad. However, Kazakh civil society representatives argue that these claims are misleading and politically motivated. A key point of contention is the alleged connection between the individuals named in the declaration and Mukhtar Ablyazov, a notorious figure accused of embezzling $8-10 billion during his tenure as chairman of BTA Bank. Ablyazov has been the subject of multiple legal judgments in the UK and US, with liabilities exceeding $5 billion, including two jury trial verdicts in the Southern District of New York in 2022 and 2024 with regard to the laundering of the stolen funds. The activists assert that the individuals referenced in the PACE declaration are not political prisoners but rather individuals convicted of ordinary criminal offenses. In their February 24 response, the Kazakh civil society representatives expressed concern over what they perceive as an attempt by certain PACE members to “militarize” Europe’s democratic agenda against Kazakhstan. “We are deeply concerned about how individual PACE representatives are attempting to ‘militarize’ Europe’s democratic agenda in relation to Kazakhstan,” the statement reads. “We have every reason to believe that the authority of PACE is being actively used by criminal elements to advance their interests - among whom we include Mukhtar Ablyazov and his supporters.” While the PACE declaration called for an investigation into Kazakhstan, the civil activists countered by urging European law enforcement agencies to investigate potential abuses of office by PACE representatives. They accused PACE of turning a blind eye to systemic corruption, such as the “Qatargate” scandal, and questioned whether connections between those implicated in “Qatargate” and individuals shaping PACE’s stance on Kazakhstan are fueling a biased agenda. [caption id="attachment_29119" align="aligncenter" width="683"] According to its website, the National Endowment for Prosperity is an "organization dedicated to the protection of human rights, strengthening democracy and developing civil society, implementing a wide range of projects and initiatives in these areas."[/caption] The rebuttal, titled “Response of representatives of civil society of Kazakhstan to the declaration of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,” was signed by 20 prominent figures from Kazakh civil society. These include Marlen Imangaliyev from the "Veterans of military operations who took part in the settlement of the interethnic conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh in the Caucasus region" public association; Usen Suleimen and Marat Sarsembayev from the “National Endowment for Prosperity”; Salamat Kabidayev from the "Eurasian Peace and Accord" institution; and Dauyl Togzhan from the "Alash Ulandary" public foundation. The response underscores the activists’ belief that the actions...

Geopolitics

A Central Asian Perspective: Look Out for Ourselves as World Shifts

Kazakhstan must focus on its own interests at a time of uncertainty over the Trump administration’s global relations and alliances as well as pending appointments to key U.S. diplomatic posts for Central Asia, according to the head of a non-governmental group based in Almaty. The comments by Karla Jamankulova, head of the free speech group Adil Soz, reflect a wider sense of vigilance in Central Asia. The region’s governments are monitoring and engaging Washington as the new U.S. administration moves to implement major, even stunning policy shifts, including warnings of tariffs on key trading partners, disruption of the longstanding U.S.-Europe alliance and a possible rapprochement with Russia after years of hostility. It’s a critical time for Central Asian states that have generally sought to balance their relationships with big powers since independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, rather than side with any one faction at the expense of another. The war in Ukraine put that approach to the test as those countries did not express support for Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 but maintained vital trade ties with it even as the West tried to isolate Moscow with economic sanctions. President Donald Trump has significantly shifted U.S. priorities, prompting other nations to reassess their own geopolitical strategies. “Given the current uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Russia economic relations and the increasingly anti-China stance, it is now crucial to understand the contours of U.S.-Kazakhstan relations moving forward,” Jamankulova said on Facebook on Tuesday. Her NGO has received funding for projects from the U.S. Embassy in the past, though such support appears to have ended since the Trump administration announced a freeze on nearly all foreign aid and took steps to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. Jamankulova didn’t comment on a debate within Kazakhstan about whether such foreign funding benefits civil society, or is a tool of interference by foreign governments, or both. Nor did she talk about whether there might be differing views within Kazakhstan about national interests. There are positive signs for Kazakhstan, specifically indications that the Trump administration would support bipartisan efforts to scrap the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a 50-year-old law that imposes some restrictions on trade with several countries in Central Asia. During his confirmation hearings for the post of secretary of state in January, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio described the amendment as “a relic of an era that’s passed.” As secretary of state, Rubio spoke by telephone on Feb. 21 to Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov of Uzbekistan about increasing trade and expanding the strategic partnership between the two countries, according to an Uzbek readout. The U.S. State Department made similar comments. In her Facebook post, Jamankulova said she was unaware of any similar discussions involving Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan, though acknowledged that doesn’t necessarily mean there is a shift in U.S. priorities. “The Atlantic Council has long advocated for Trump to be the first U.S. president to visit Central Asia. Kazakhstan appears to be on the radar. At the last C5+1 summit in 2023,...

Corruption Allegations

Criminal Charges Against MEP Maria Arena Spark Renewed Debate on Central Asia Influence-for-Hire

In the latest chapter of a slow-burning story, on January 18, 2025, Antonio Panzeri’s successor as head of the European Union’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), Maria Arena, was charged with participating in a criminal organization concerning the Qatargate scandal. As far back as December 2022, shocking revelations had exposed collaboration between Panzeri, EU officials, and certain NGOs. This alliance turned their human rights advocacy into a self-serving commercial enterprise, yielding them €2.6 million and their clients favorable motions and resolutions in the European Parliament. The roles of Arena and Panzeri in commercializing their office by curating human rights targets and taking protective measures for monetary exchange warrant closer scrutiny. After leaving DROI, Panzeri continued to operate behind the scenes, having “almost 400 telephone calls” in ten months with Arena. As reported by Politico, her ties to the NGOs Fight Impunity (FI) and No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) raised concerns about transparency and influence within DROI, especially as key figures from these NGOs faced corruption and money laundering charges in the EU’s Qatargate scandal. Arena’s leadership has also been criticized for allowing unbalanced hearings that favored Qatar’s interests while sidelining its critics. The scope of corruption extends beyond Qatar, with both Morocco and Mauritania mentioned as attempting to influence European Parliament decisions through bribery. All three countries — Qatar, Morocco, and Mauritania — deny any involvement. Germane to Central Asia, Maria Arena reportedly penned a letter to the Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Brussels calling for the release from prison of Karim Massimov, the former head of Kazakh intelligence who was sentenced to long-term imprisonment in his homeland for high treason, attempted coup and abuse of power. Journalists’ investigations have documented Massimov’s alleged links to major corruption, and he was closely associated with the authoritative regime of former President Nazarbayev. Arena’s push coincides with social media postings on 8 November 2022 by FI and NPWJ calling for Massimov’s release. Francesco Giorgi, an ex-parliamentary staffer at Fight Impunity and Panzeri aide who admitted partial guilt in the Qatargate bribery scandal, retweeted the post. A broader investigation suggests further malfeasance similar to Qatargate, in which Panzeri, Arena, and other EU officials collaborated with Mukhtar Ablyazov, a known criminal with judgments against him exceeding $4.8 billion dollars in the U.S. and British courts. Ablyazov is facing potential deportation from France following his evasion of a 22-month UK prison sentence for contempt of court. Despite this high-profile conviction in the UK, under DROI’s leadership, a faction of European politicians, including prominent names from the S&D including Panzeri and Maria Arena, along with their legislative partner Renew Europe, continued to align themselves with Ablyazov. An analysis of Ablyazov's supporters in the European Parliament, PACE, and national legislatures reveals a discernible pattern. During his time in Strasbourg, Ablyazov met with Panzeri – a figure labeled by The Spectator as one of Ablyazov’s “most diligent lawyers and active supporters.” Alongside Ablyazov was his daughter, Madina, who is married to Ilyas Khrapunov - found by a federal judge in...