The Week in Kazakhstan: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

A new law approved by the Senate on December 12 turned all information regarding the health and status of former presidents and their family members classified. Given that a previous law protecting former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his family was struck off in February last year, observers said this new law could set legal protection for current President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, once his term in office is over.

Karzhaubai Nurymov, the father of a teenager that was brutally killed in October, was accused of disturbing public order and put under arrest on December 10. Two days later, Nurymov was also accused of damaging private property. Nurymov had asked to be heard by journalists after the funeral of his brother, who was found dead just days earlier. After the murder of Sherzat Polat, his 16-year-old son, Nurymov’s family endured police pressure, as well as the burning of their home in the southern city of Talgar.

Energy minister Almasadam Satkaliyev traveled to China on a working visit on December 10-13. After his meetings in Beijing, Satkaliyev said the China National Nuclear Corporation proposed a partnership to supply nuclear technology for the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant. Last week, on November 6, Satkaliyev visited France and spoke with potential partners from the state-owned company EDF.

During a briefing on December 9, Yermek Kosherbayev, the governor of the East Kazakhstan region, said that the construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Oskemen, the regional capital, will not worsen the environmental situation in the city. In late November, an industrial leak led to days of record air pollution in Oskemen, with Kosherbayev admitting to being unable to go outside without coughing.

Kazakhstan’s ministry of justice will coordinate with Russia in its plan to regulate non-profit organizations, the ministry said on December 13 in a written response to Vlast. The memorandum regarding the cooperation between the two ministries will encompass legal restrictions that are likely to impact the work of NGOs.

Perizat Kairat’s assets worth several hundred thousand dollars were seized, the Financial Monitoring Agency said on December 13. Assets include real estate, luxury cars, and expensive accessories. Kairat, the former head of the Biz Birgemiz charity, is suspected of having embezzled 1.7 billion tenge ($3.2 million) in charity donations. She was arrested in mid-November.

Amanat, the ruling party, said on December 11 it intends to advocate for a return to two separate time zones for Kazakhstan. After having received more than 10,000 requests from citizens, MP Yelnur Beisenbayev said he and his colleagues demanded that the government speed up the study on the impact of the time change on the population and make a decision “that will suit all the people.” In March, the government decided to unify Kazakhstan’s time zones into one, UTC+5.