The Week in Kazakhstan: Take Me There
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev flew to Kyrgyzstan on August 22 to meet his counterpart Sadyr Japarov. During a press conference, Tokayev stressed the need to foster cooperation in various sectors, including regional integration, digital economy, and trans-border water management. The official visit also coincided with the opening of a branch of Kazakhstan’s Eurasian National University in Osh.
The ministry of digital development said on August 20 that the government’s plans to move public officials’ communication to a national messenger service will not “interfere” with the regular use of private messengers, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. Earlier, Tokayev had ordered that public officials use Aitu, a Kazakhstan-made app, for official exchanges.
On August 15, a court in Karaganda sentenced 10 managers and department heads who worked for ArcelorMittal Temirtau to 5-8 years in prison. They were found guilty of several violations that could have resulted in the accident that killed 46 workers at the Kostenko mine in October 2023. Months after the accident, the company changed ownership and rebranded as Qarmet.
Nurlan Sauranbayev, the minister of transport, said on August 19 that the taxi market needs more competition. He pointed to the inDrive service becoming more popular and to Bolt, an Estonian ride-hailing app, entering the market. Still, Kazakhstan’s residents mostly use Yandex.Taxi, a Russian company.
A court in Astana rejected on August 20 a lawsuit filed by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) over Kazakhstan’s ministry of foreign affairs’ denial of permanent accreditation for its journalists. RFE/RL’s local service, Radio Azattyk, filed the lawsuit on July 11 because 16 of its journalists were refused accreditation. [Read more here.]
The indictment against five activists accused of “attempting to organize mass unrest” is flawed, their lawyer said during a hearing on August 21. The defendants were detained ahead of the October 2024 referendum for the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant. The prosecution claims they were in contact among themselves and were plotting a demonstration. The defendants claim they did not know each other before their detention.