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Opposition

Kazakh journalist Aidos Sadykov died in Kyiv

After 13 days in intensive care following an attack in Kyiv, Kazakh journalist Aidos Sadykov has died. This was confirmed by his wife Natalia Sadkykova on her Facebook page. Sadykov and his wife were authors of the YouTube channel “Base” which has been consistently critical of Kazakhstan’s government, starting with President Nazarbayev’s term and continuing under the new President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. On 18 June, Sadykov was shot next to his wife in a parked car in the Shevchenkovsky district of Kyiv, not far from the house where the couple lives. Aidos was wounded in the head, Natalya was not injured. The office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine named two citizens of Kazakhstan, Altai Zhakanbaev and former Kazakhstan police officer Meiram Karataev (dismissed in January 2019), as suspects in the case. On 19 June, President Tokayev of Kazakhstan said that “the official bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan are ready to join the investigation.” On 21 June, Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor General’s Office released an official statement concerning the attack: "Yesterday, the Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan addressed the Prosecutor General of Ukraine with a proposal to provide all possible assistance in solving this crime, involving the most experienced Kazakhstani investigators. The course of the investigation of the criminal case by the Prosecutor General's Office has been taken under special control." On the same day, Altai Zhakanbaev turned himself in to Kazakhstan authorities, according to the Office. The murder of Sadykov has raised questions about motive. Kazakhstani parliamentary deputy Ermurat Bapi has suggested that the attack was due to “third forces” who want to create a “quarrel between Kazakhstan and some countries”. Sadykova has held President Tokayev responsible for her husband’s death. To date, no evidence has been made public to substantiate these claims.

Opposition

Aidos Sadykov Shooting: First Suspect Detained by Kazakhstan Authorities

Yesterday, TCA reported that two suspects had been identified by the Ukrainian authorities just three days after after the shooting of Aidos Sadykov, a Kyiv based political blogger. Both are Kazakhstan citizens, 33-year-old Meiram Karataev and 36-year-old Altay Zhakanbaev, whose names have been corroborated by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine’s website. Immediately following the attack, President Tokayev of Kazakhstan said that “the official bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan are ready to join the investigation.” According to the Kazakhstan Office of the General Prosecutor, on June 21, Zhakanbaev independently turned himself in to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he was questioned on the circumstances of the case. On the same day, he was detained on suspicion of involvement in the crime against Aidos Sadykov. Sadykov and his wife, Natalya Sadykova left Kazakhstan in 2014 following allegations of slander by a Kazakh MP, a charge no longer considered a criminal offense as of 2020. Since 2014, they have resided in Kyiv, where they have received refugee status. From Kyiv, the couple host the YouTube channel @base-kazakh, which, according to their description, “covers events in Kazakhstan and the world and does not depend on the authorities, oligarchs and grants”. Sadykov has criticized the Kazakh authorities in the regional press since 2000 and the YouTube channel has been consistently critical of Kazakhstan’s government, starting with President Nazarbayev’s term and continuing under the new President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, Sadykov and his wife have claimed that Kazakhstan’s leadership is colluding with the Kremlin. The apparent assassination attempt of Sadykov has raised questions about the motive. Kazakhstan parliamentary deputy, Ermurat Bapi has suggested that the assassination attempt was due to “third forces” that want to create a “quarrel between Kazakhstan and some countries”. Sadykova has accused President Tokayev of ordering the assassination. The detainment of the first suspect by Kazakhstan authorities is a positive development in determining the actual motive behind the attack.

Opposition

Who is Aidos Sadykov?

The tragic shooting of Kazakh journalist, Aidos Sadykov is suspected to be collateral damage in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the ensuing geopolitical subversions. Aidos Sadykov and his wife Natalya Sadykova host the YouTube channel @base-kazakh, which, according to their description, “covers events in Kazakhstan and the world and does not depend on the authorities, oligarchs and grants”. The couple left Kazakhstan in 2014 following allegations of slander against Sadykova by Kazakh MP Maral Sergazievich Itegulov, a charge no longer considered a criminal offense as of 2020. Since 2014, they have resided in Kyiv, where they have received refugee status. Sadykov has criticized the Kazakh authorities in the regional press since 2000. Also a former chair of the Aktobe NSDP Party Azat branch, Aidos Sadykov was imprisoned for hooliganism in 2010, but was released early under amnesty. He later founded the "Gastat" opposition movement after leaving the NSDP and establishing an independent trade union at CNPS-Aktobemunaigas, a local oil and gas enterprise. He is associated with another outspoken controversial figure, Mukhtar Ablyazov, who has sought political asylum in France. Ablyazov faced murder charges in Kazakhstan following the death of a bank CEO – the same bank that Ablyazov later took over and reportedly defrauded. He now faces judgements against him exceeding $5 billion in UK and U.S. courts related to laundering stolen funds. Sadykova worked for the newspaper Respublika, which was allegedly funded by Ablyazov. The apparent assassination attempt of Sadykov has raised questions about motive. Kazakhstan parliamentary deputy, Ermurat Bapi has suggested that the assassination attempt was due to “third forces” that want to create a “quarrel between Kazakhstan and some countries”. Sadykova has accused President Tokayev of ordering the assassination. The couple’s YouTube channel has been consistently critical of Kazakhstan’s government, starting with President Nazarbayev’s term and continuing under new President Tokayev. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, Sadykov and his wife have claimed that Kazakhstan’s leadership is colluding with the Kremlin. According to The Guardian, Sadykov is a “prominent blogger with more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube.” While the YouTube channel does in fact show 1.01 million followers, Washington University’s public tool demonstrates that at least 88% of these are dead accounts (meaning they show no activity), according to an analysis conducted three days after the attack on Sadykov. On June 20, the Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan announced that they had reached out to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and offered their full assistance in solving the crime by involving highly-skilled investigators from Kazakhstan.

Opposition

Suspected Attackers of Kazakhstan Blogger Aidos Sadykov Identified

Three days ago, Kazakhstan political blogger and erstwhile opposition figure, Aidos Sadykov was shot in the head at a parking lot near his residence in Kyiv whilst standing next to his wife, Natalya Sadykova. Sadykov is the author of the Telegram channel, ‘Base’, which has 59,000 subscribers, and has been permanently residing in Kyiv since 2014. Two suspects have already been identified. Both are Kazakhstan citizens, 33-year-old Meiram Karataev and 36-year-old Altay Zhakanbaev, whose names have been corroborated by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine's website. According to the Kazakhstan Ministry of Internal Affairs, M. Kartayev was dismissed from the ministry in January of 2019 and is not currently a police officer. They further elaborated that the Head of State (of Kazakhstan) had instructed the Ministry to clarify all circumstances of the case. Immediately following the attack, President Tokayev of Kazakhstan said that “the official bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan are ready to join the investigation.” The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine reported that on the day of the crime the suspects crossed the border into Moldova and according to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian National News Agency, they have been placed on the international wanted list. Over the years, Sadykov has frequently criticized the Kazakh authorities, including the current president. In 2020, Base, together with the initiative to create the opposition Democratic Party, were co-organizers of a rally in Almaty demanding a boycott of the parliamentary election. The Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, an unregistered political party, was founded and led by Zhanbolat Mamai, a former journalist who in 2017 was convicted of receiving funds from Mukhtar Ablyazov, a fugitive former minster with judgements against him in numerous jurisdictions, including the U.S. and the U.K., where he was found to have committed "fraud on an epic scale." Natalya Sadykova previously worked for Ablyazov's since shuttered newspaper, Respublika. Aidos Sadykov and Mamai both actively supported protests in January 2022 in Kazakhstan, which were widely seen as an attempted coup. Sadykov is wanted in Kazakhstan under articles on the incitement of discord.

Opposition Crime Ukraine Judiciary Security

Controversial Kazakh Opposition Figure Aidos Sadykov Shot in Kyiv

An unknown man in Kyiv fired several shots at Kazakh activist and oppositionist Aidos Sadykov, who has been granted official refugee status in Ukraine. It is reported that the incident occurred in the Shevchenkivskiy district of the Ukrainian capital when Sadykov was approaching his car with his wife, Natalia, who previously worked for Mukhtar Ablyazov’s opposition paper, Respublika. The gunman used a silencer on the firearm. Sadykov's condition is currently assessed as serious; his wife was not injured. As this is a case involving a high-profile individual, the head of the regional police, Andriy Nebytov, was called to the crime scene. Sadykov is the author of the Telegram channel 'Base', which has 59,000 subscribers, and has been permanently residing in Kyiv since 2014. Over the years, he has criticized the current Kazakh authorities, including the current president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. In 2020 Base, together with the initiative to create the opposition Democratic Party, became the co-organizers of a rally in Almaty demanding a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary election. The Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, an unregistered political party, was founded and led by Zhanbolat Mamai, a former journalist who was convicted for receiving funds from Ablyazov in 2017. Sadykov and Mamai both actively supported the protests in January 2022 in Kazakhstan, widely seen as an attempted coup. He is wanted in Kazakhstan under the articles on the incitement of discord.

Arrest Opposition

Former Opposition Party Leader Saidjafar Usmonzoda Arrested in Tajikistan

Saidjafar Usmonzoda, a member of parliament and former chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, has been stripped of his parliamentary immunity and arrested in Dushanbe. The decision to strip Usmonzoda of immunity was made at a meeting of the fifth session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (parliament) at the suggestion of Tajikistan's Prosecutor General, the Khovar news agency has reported. A preliminary investigation found that in September 2021, Usmonzoda spoke on a cell phone with Sharofiddin Gadoev, deputy head of the extremist terrorist organization, Paimoni Milli Tochikiston, discussing plans to usurp state power in Tajikistan. According to the investigation, Gadoev promised that to achieve this goal, the head of the Islamic Renaissance Party, which is banned in Tajikistan, Mukhiddin Kabiri, would provide financial assistance and more than 3,000 fighters from the terrorist organization Jamaat Ansarulloh from abroad. According to law enforcement, Usmonzoda recruited supporters from various social strata inside and outside the country to destabilize the sociopolitical situation in several regions in the shortest possible time, seizing law enforcement agencies and military structures, taking weapons, and violently overthrowing the state. According to the investigation materials, to implement these plans, Usmonzoda requested $10 million from a representative of a foreign country to attract influential persons and organize rallies. On June 12th, 2024, a criminal case was initiated against Usmonzoda and his associates, with Usmonzoda being arrested as a suspect.