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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.

Opposition

Tajik Political Activist Sentenced to 8 ½ Years in Prison

A court in Dushanbe has sentenced Nizomiddin Nasriddinov, a former activist of the Group 24 opposition movement, to 8 1/2 years in prison on a charge of making public calls to forcibly change Tajikistan's constitutional order, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported. According to an anonymous source involved in the trial, RFE/RL was informed on October 5th that the Ismoili Somoni district court delivered Nasriddinov's verdict and sentence on September 29th. The source added that the former activist pleaded not guilty. Court officials and Nasriddinov’s relatives declined to comment on the matter. The court requested RFE/RL to submit an official letter for comment. Recently, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Human Rights Watch, Freedom for Eurasia, and Freedom Now jointly urged Tajik authorities to drop what they deemed as "fabricated" charges against Nasriddinov and release him immediately. Nasriddinov was detained by Belarusian authorities in January at the request of Dushanbe when he entered Belarus from Lithuania. Subsequently, he was extradited to Tajikistan in July. Notably, Nasriddinov holds refugee status in Germany. His affiliation with Group 24, which was designated as a terrorist and extremist organization and banned in the tightly governed former Soviet republic in 2014, has been highlighted. In March 2015, the movement's founder, businessman Umarali Quvatov, was assassinated in Istanbul. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, known for his nearly 30-year firm grip on the Central Asian nation, has faced criticism from international human rights groups. They accuse his administration of disregarding independent media, religious freedoms, civil society, and political diversity. In the past year, Tajik courts sentenced seven journalists and bloggers to prison terms ranging from seven to 21 years. They were charged with spreading false information, involvement in extremist activities, and association with banned groups. Both the accused and their supporters, alongside human rights organizations, have labeled these charges as baseless and politically motivated

Opposition

Relatives of Exiled Tajik Activists Arrested

As per RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, Tajik authorities have apprehended relatives of several self-exiled activists following an incident where President Emomali Rahmon's vehicle was targeted with eggs during his visit to Berlin last week. The activists said that family members of Sharofiddin Gadoev, Dilshod Sharifov, Ismoil Mahmadov, Jamshed Sharifov, Behruz Taghoizoda, and Muhammadjon Abdulloev—all affiliated with the opposition Group 24—were taken into custody over the weekend on unspecified charges. The incident involving Rahmon’s car occurred while he and leaders from four other Central Asian nations were in Berlin on August 29 for discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Kazakhstan Opposition

Kazakhstan: Fugitive tycoon’s ex-lawyer says her jailed brother released

NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — Kazakh businessman Iskander Erimbetov has been released from prison "due to a health condition," according to his sister, Bota Jardemalie, RFE/RL reported. Continue reading