Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

December

• Russia Sentences Fugitive Kazakh Banker Ablyazov In Absentia To 15 Years RFE/RL 29 Dec 2020 -- A Russian court has sentenced Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstan's BTA Bank and an opposition politician, to 15 years in prison in absentia on embezzlement charges he has denied.
• Kazakhstan - King Air B300ER Scorpion Aircraft with Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Mission Systems DSCA 23 Dec 2020 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Kazakhstan of King Air B300ER Scorpion Aircraft with Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Mission Systems and related equipment for an estimated cost of $128.1 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on yesterday.
• Kazakhstan's Opposition Says January Vote Should Be Postponed Due To Flawed Election Laws RFE/RL 22 Dec 2020 -- Kazakhstan's opposition movement, Halyq Biligi (People's Rule), has demanded that parliamentary elections scheduled for next month be postponed, citing election legislation that cuts out alternative political forces.
• RFE/RL Investigation: Nazarbaev Relatives Have Invested $785 Million In Luxury Properties In Six Countries RFE/RL 22 Dec 2020 -- An RFE/RL investigation shows the relatives of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev have invested nearly $785 million in luxury properties in at least six countries over a 20-year time span.
• Kazakhstan Starts Production Of Russia's Sputnik-V, Announces Mass Vaccination Program RFE/RL 21 Dec 2020 -- Kazakhstan says it has started producing the Russian-developed Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine ahead of a mass vaccination project planned for early next year.
• Kazakhstan Starts Production of Sputnik V Coronavirus Vaccine Sputnik 21 Dec 2020 -- Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin attended the pharmaceutical complex in Karagandy on Monday to officially launch production of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, the Kazakh government said.
• Analysis: Scandals Increase Tensions Ahead Of Controversial Elections In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan RFE/RL 21 Dec 2020 -- Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are holding elections on January 10, the results of which will inevitably be unpopular with segments of the two countries' populations before and after election day.
• Kazakh Activists Mark Independence Day With Unsanctioned Rally In Almaty RFE/RL 16 Dec 2020 -- Opposition activists in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, have marked the Central Asian nation's Independence Day with an unsanctioned rally.
• An Old Refrain: Russian Lawmakers Question Kazakhstan's Territorial Integrity, Statehood RFE/RL 16 Dec 2020 -- Many Kazakhs are likely upset and perhaps a bit worried by some of the comments and actions heard in Russia recently that have questioned Kazakhstan's existence as a country.
• Kazakh Election Campaign Kicks Off With No Opposition Parties On Ballot RFE/RL 10 Dec 2020 -- Kazakhstan has kicked off its parliamentary election campaign with five parties -- none of which is running on an opposition platform.
• Ethnic Kazakh From Xinjiang Receives Asylum-Seeker Status In Ukraine RFE/RL 08 Dec 2020 -- A Chinese citizen of ethnic Kazakh origin from China's northwestern province of Xinjiang told RFE/RL that he has obtained asylum seeker status in Ukraine.
• South Africa Tightens COVID Restrictions Ahead of Christmas Season VOA 04 Dec 2020 -- South Africa's president has announced a raft of new restrictions in a major city as the nation stares down a possible coronavirus resurgence.
• Kazakhstan to Launch Production of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine on 22 December Sputnik 04 Dec 2020 -- Moscow previously announced that the total volume of produced doses of the Sputnik V vaccine will reach 2 million in the near future, which will allow the authorities to start mass vaccinations in Russia.
• Turkey's Space Strategy: Trilateral Cooperation With Russia, Kazakhstan is Logical, Agency Head Says Sputnik 04 Dec 2020 -- Independent access to space has become one of Turkey's national priorities under the Recep Tayyip Erdogan government. Turkey's Space Agency head, Serdar Hüseyin Yildirim, has shed light on the agency's priorities, plans, aspirations, and joint projects underway.
• Kazakhstan Accused Of Using Baseless Tax Claims To Pressure Rights Groups RFE/RL 04 Dec 2020 -- Several international rights watchdogs have accused Kazakh authorities of launching a pressure campaign on human rights organizations by making baseless claims about tax improprieties.
• Report: Son-In-Law Of Ex-Kazakh President Profited From Secret Pipeline RFE/RL 03 Dec 2020 -- The son-in-law of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev raked in tens of millions of dollars as part of a secret project linked to the construction of a natural-gas pipeline from Central Asia to China, the Financial Times reported.
• More Than 50 People Go On Trial In Kazakhstan After Ethnic Clashes RFE/RL 03 Dec 2020 -- More than 50 people have gone on trial in Kazakhstan's southern Zhambyl region after deadly ethnic clashes in February that shocked the Central Asian country.
• Kazakh Political Party Stops Accepting New Members After Opposition Figure's Call To Support It RFE/RL 02 Dec 2020 -- Kazakhstan's Aq Zhol (Bright Path) political party has suspended accepting new members after exiled opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov called on his supporters to vote for the party in upcoming parliamentary elections in order to weaken the ruling Nur Otan party.
• British Court Freezes Billions Tied To Alleged Kazakh Bank Theft RFE/RL 02 Dec 2020 -- A court in the United Kingdom has frozen up to $5 billion in assets tied to the alleged theft of billions of dollars from Kazakhstan's BTA Bank.

November

• Kazakh Party To Boycott January Parliamentary Elections RFE/RL 27 Nov 2020 -- The All-National Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan (OSDP), which bills itself as an opposition group, has announced that it will boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections.
• UN Concludes Kazakhstan Illegally 'Targeted' Defender Of Xinjiang Indigenous Groups RFE/RL 24 Nov 2020 -- The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has concluded that the Kazakh government violated international human rights law last year when it detained activist Serikzhan Bilash, who had raised the plight of indigenous ethnic groups in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang.
• Kazakh Opposition Figure Calls On Supporters To Vote To Expose 'Opposition' Party RFE/RL 18 Nov 2020 -- Mukhtar Ablyazov, a former Kazakh banker and outspoken critic of the country's government, has called on his supporters to join and vote for the All-National Social Democratic Party (OSDP) to "prove" the party is a "fraud."
• Kazakh Tycoon Jailed For 11 Years On Embezzlement Charges RFE/RL 16 Nov 2020 -- A former banker from Kazakhstan has been sentenced to 11 years in prison on embezzlement charges.
• Measles Cases Spike In Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan As COVID-19 Impacts Vaccination Worldwide RFE/RL 13 Nov 2020 -- Measles cases worldwide surged to the highest number in nearly a quarter of a century in 2019 due to a drop in vaccinations that is expected to worsen this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Kazakh Activist Demands Registration Of Party Before Parliamentary Vote RFE/RL 11 Nov 2020 -- An activist in Kazakhstan's southern city of Shymkent has held a single-person picket to demand the registration of the opposition Democratic Party ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for January 10, 2021.
• Kazakh President Orders Ministers To Work On Latin-Based Alphabet RFE/RL 09 Nov 2020 -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has ordered a new variation of the Kazakh-language alphabet based on Latin letters that would replace the current alphabet based on Cyrillic by 2025.
• Kazakh Opposition Group Allowed To Hold Rally Challenging Upcoming Polls RFE/RL 06 Nov 2020 -- Authorities in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, have given an unregistered party permission to hold a protest rally ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections as its members continue to stage individual protests calling for the group's official registration.
• Kazakh Ex-Health Minister Arrested On Embezzlement Charges RFE/RL 03 Nov 2020 -- NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan's former Health Minister Elzhan Birtanov, who was removed from the post in June amid a surge in coronavirus cases and renewed lockdowns, has been arrested on embezzlement charges.
• Kazakhstan Convicts Opposition Activist On Extremism Charges RFE/RL 02 Nov 2020 -- A court in Kazakhstan's northern city of Petropavl has found an opposition activist guilty of participating in the activities of "an extremist group" and sentenced him to one year of freedom limitation -- a sentence with parole-like restrictions.

October

• Hundreds Of Kazakh Activists Attend Rare Rally In Almaty RFE/RL 31 Oct 2020 -- Hundreds of rights activists have held a rally in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, demanding political reforms and an end to politically motivated persecutions.
• Two More Ethnic Kazakhs From Xinjiang Given Temporary Refugee Status In Kazakhstan RFE/RL 30 Oct 2020 -- Two more ethnic Kazakhs from China's northwestern Xinjiang region who illegally crossed the border have obtained temporary refugee status in Kazakhstan.
• Kazakhstan Sets January 10 Date For Parliamentary Elections RFE/RL 21 Oct 2020 -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has set the date of elections for the lower house of parliament, or Majlis, for January 10, 2021.
• Another Top Kazakh Health Official Resigns Amid Coronavirus Pandemic RFE/RL 19 Oct 2020 -- Another top health official in Kazakhstan has resigned as the country continues to lead Central Asian nations with registered coronavirus cases.
• Two Ethnic Kazakhs From Xinjiang Obtain Rare Temporary Refugee Status In Kazakhstan RFE/RL 19 Oct 2020 -- In a rare occurrence, two ethnic-Kazakh men from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang who were convicted of illegally crossing the border a year ago have obtained temporary refugee status in Kazakhstan.
• Russia, Kazakhstan Replace Decades-Old Military Cooperation Agreement RFE/RL 16 Oct 2020 -- The Russian and Kazakh defense ministers signed an agreement in the Kazakh capital on October 16 on bilateral military cooperation to replace a deal that has been in place since 1994.
• Almaty Authorities Grant Rare Permission For Activist Rally On Political Reforms RFE/RL 13 Oct 2020 -- In an unexpected and rare move, authorities in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, have allowed rights activists to hold a rally at which demonstrators will demand political reforms and an end to politically motivated persecutions.
• Kazakh Opposition Leader Charged In France With Embezzlement; Complaint Filed By Kazakh Government RFE/RL 08 Oct 2020 -- Kazakh opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov has been charged in Paris with embezzling $7.5 billion in a case brought by Kazakhstan, according to one of his lawyers.
• Fugitive Kazakh Opposition Figure Ablyazov Granted Asylum In France RFE/RL 05 Oct 2020 -- France has granted political asylum to Kazakhstan's exiled opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov, according to his lawyer and a French newspaper.

September

• Another Village Locked Down In Kazakhstan Over Bird Flu RFE/RL 29 Sep 2020 -- Kazakhstan has locked down one more village over an outbreak of bird flu.
• Seven Handed Prison Terms In Ethnic Clashes Case In Kazakhstan's South RFE/RL 29 Sep 2020 -- A military court in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, has sentenced seven men to prison terms between three and eight years after finding them guilty of taking part in deadly clashes.
• 'Prosecutor Pretended He Couldn't Hear Me!' Kazakhstan's Online Trials Raise Concerns Of Rights Violations RFE/RL 29 Sep 2020 -- Almaty-based activist Danaya Kalieva is among dozens of government critics who have been tried and sentenced in an "online trial" since Kazakhstan ordered all courts to hold their proceedings only via video due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Russia, Kazakhstan to Begin Reconstruction of Zenit Launch Pad in Baikonur, Roscosmos Says Sputnik 26 Sep 2020 -- Russia and Kazakhstan will begin the reconstruction of the launch complex of the Zenit carrier rocket at Baikonur for the new Russian Soyuz-5 vehicle in mid-October, Roscosmos reported.
• Kazakh Authorities Block Protests Called By Exiled Opposition Leader RFE/RL 26 Sep 2020 -- Authorities in Kazakhstan have attempted to block protest rallies called on September 25 by the exiled opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov.
• Why Are Central Asian Countries Silent About China's Uyghurs? RFE/RL 22 Sep 2020 -- The Central Asian governments have tried to stay out of Beijing's ruthless campaign against Uyghurs and other minorities in China's western region of Xinjiang, officially known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
• Kazakhstan's North Hit By Outbreak Of Bird Flu RFE/RL 17 Sep 2020 -- Kazakhstan's Agriculture Ministry says a bird flu outbreak was detected in the Central Asian nation's northern region bordering Russia.
• Kazakhstan Says Military Drills In Belarus Separate From Political Situation There RFE/RL 16 Sep 2020 -- Kazakhstan's Defense Ministry says military maneuvers scheduled to be held in Belarus in October by the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have nothing to do with ongoing protests against Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
• Kazakh Prisoners Packed In Cells, Endure 'Degrading' Conditions In Coronavirus Lockdown RFE/RL 14 Sep 2020 -- Yulia Ilchenko hasn't seen her imprisoned husband since March, when Kazakhstan locked down its 82 penitentiaries as part of nationwide measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
• Defiant Kazakh Activist Fined For Calling Police 'Nazarbaev's Puppies' RFE/RL 14 Sep 2020 -- A well-known Kazakh civil rights activist, Erbol Eskhozhin, has been fined for publicly calling police officers "Nazarbaev's puppies."
• Kazakh Rally Urges Toqaev To Implement Promised Reforms, Free Political Prisoners RFE/RL 13 Sep 2020 -- Dozens of activists rallied in Kazakhstan's commercial capital calling for political reforms and to demand they be allowed to form a new political party.
• Number Of Political Prisoners On Rise In Kazakhstan, Activists Say RFE/RL 08 Sep 2020 -- The number of political prisoners in Kazakhstan has risen to nine, local human rights defenders say in an update of a register they keep of such persons.
• Kazakh Officials, Family Members To Be Barred From Having Bank Accounts Abroad RFE/RL 02 Sep 2020 -- Kazakhstan's government has announced that officials and members of their families will be barred from having bank accounts abroad amid growing public frustration over corruption following several scandals that have shed light on the enormity of their unexplained offshore wealth..

August

• Kyrgyz Authorities Allow Friday Prayers As Kazakhstan Also Lifts Some Coronavirus Restrictions RFE/RL 27 Aug 2020 -- Muslims in Kyrgyzstan will be allowed to return this week to mosques for Friday Prayers for first time in months, authorities say.
• Kazakhstan Completes Preclinical Trial Of Domestic Vaccine Against COVID-19 RFE/RL 19 Aug 2020 -- A Kazakh research center has completed preclinical trials of a domestic vaccine against COVID-19, local media reported on August 19, citing the Almaty-based institute's press service.
• HRW Urges Kazakhstan to Bolster COVID-19 Aid To Ease Poverty Fears RFE/RL 18 Aug 2020 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Kazakh government to extend and bolster economic relief for those negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent hundreds of thousands of people from facing poverty.
• Death Of Kazakh Ex-President's Grandson Latest Dark Cloud Over Nazarbaev Family RFE/RL 18 Aug 2020 -- Aisultan Nazarbaev died less than two weeks before his 30th birthday.
• Roads To Kazakh Village Closed After Alleged Interethnic Clash Among Residents RFE/RL 17 Aug 2020 -- Kazakh police have blocked all entrances to the village of Baydibek-biy after an alleged interethnic incident, local media reported, citing eyewitnesses and local residents.
• Kazakhstan to discuss purchase of Russian COVID-19 vaccines People's Daily 13 Aug 2020 -- Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Wednesday that a Kazakh delegation will be sent to Moscow in the second half of August to discuss the purchase of Russian-made COVID-19 vaccines, the presidential service announced.
• Kazakhstan logs pneumonia cases with COVID-19 symptoms Global Times 03 Aug 2020 -- The Kazakh Health Ministry for the first time reported daily pneumonia cases with COVID-19 clinical symptoms on Sunday.
• Kazakhstan reports first simultaneous data on COVID-19 and 'unknown pathological pneumonia' Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- Kazakhstan's Ministry of Healthcare reported 1,226 cases of COVID-19, 36 deaths, and 5,181 cases of "unknown pneumonia" with signs of coronavirus infection on Saturday, reportedly the first time for the department to simultaneously release data on the two infections.

July

• COVID-19: Bosnian Minister Dies; Kazakhstan Extends Lockdown RFE/RL 29 Jul 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 662,000, with more than 16.8 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• Growing number of Chinese nationals in Kazakhstan infected with coronavirus: Chinese Embassy Global Times 21 Jul 2020 -- The COVID-19 epidemic situation in Kazakhstan is very serious, and the number of Chinese nationals infected in Kazakhstan continues to increase, according to the Chinese Embassy in that country which warned Chinese nationals there to ensure personal safety.
• Kazakh Health Minister Says More Than 3,300 People Died Of Pneumonia In 2020 RFE/RL 17 Jul 2020 -- Governments in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are adding pneumonia cases most likely caused by the coronavirus to their overall pandemic totals even though they were undetected at the time.
• COVID-19: EU To Remove Serbia, Montenegro From Safe List; Red Crescent Warns Of 'Catastrophes' In Afghanistan Due To Pandemic RFE/RL 14 Jul 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 574,000, with more than 13.1 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• COVID-19: Kazakhstan Holds National Day Of Mourning For Victims, Third Iranian Deputy Dies Of Virus RFE/RL 13 Jul 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 570,000, with more than 12.9 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• 'Unknown pneumonia' in Kazakhstan likely COVID-19: WHO, Chinese experts Global Times 11 Jul 2020 -- The "unknown pneumonia" reported in Kazakhstan is very likely the coronavirus, a World Health Organization (WHO) official and leading Chinese experts said after reports of a mystery "pneumonia" more deadly than the coronavirus caused concern that a new virus was emerging along China's northwest border.
• COVID-19: Kazakh President Threatens To Dismiss Government If Situation Does Not Improve RFE/RL 10 Jul 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 550,000, with more than 12 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• More info expected from Kazakhstan after 'unknown pneumonia' sparks speculation Global Times 10 Jul 2020 -- Kazakh authorities refuted Chinese media reports on an "unknown pneumonia" on Friday, even if local media had reported that the unknown disease was more deadly than COVID-19. Some medical experts in China did not rule out the possibility that the so-called unknown pneumonia is actually the novel coronavirus, while the Kazakh side has been suggested to provide more information for prevention work.
• Chinese officials, medical experts expect more information from Kazakhstan on 'unknown pneumonia' Global Times 10 Jul 2020 -- Based on limited information disclosed by Kazakh authorities on an "unknown pneumonia" in the country, medical experts are unable to understand or make suggestions for prevention and control work. Chinese authorities hope Kazakhstan would provide more information so the two sides can continue jointly fighting the pandemic.
• Kazakh Health Ministry Rejects Chinese Claim Of New Deadly Virus RFE/RL 10 Jul 2020 -- Kazakhstan has labelled a Chinese claim that it is being ravaged by a pneumonia outbreak that is deadlier than the coronavirus as "fake news."
• 'Not Consistent With Reality': Kazakh Health Ministry Rejects Claims of Emerging Deadly Pneumonia Sputnik 10 Jul 2020 -- The Kazakh Ministry of Health on Friday firmly rejected recent media reports that claimed an unknown, deadly pneumonia far more fatal than that caused by the novel coronavirus was ravaging the Central Asian country.
• Chinese Embassy Warns About Outbreak of Unknown Deadly Pneumonia in Kazakhstan Sputnik 10 Jul 2020 -- The Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan on Friday warned China's citizens about an outbreak of an unknown type of pneumonia with a high mortality rate in the Central Asian nation.
• Chinese Embassy warns of unknown pneumonia deadlier than COVID-19 in Kazakhstan Global Times 09 Jul 2020 -- The Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan on Thursday warned Chinese citizens living in the country of a local pneumonia of unknown cause, which has a "much higher" fatality rate than COVID-19.
• COVID-19: Kazakh Ex- President Reportedly Cured Days Before 80th Birthday As Restrictions Reimposed RFE/RL 02 Jul 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 510,000, with more than 10.7 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• Surge In COVID-19 Cases Forces Central Asian Countries To Reverse Reopenings RFE/RL 02 Jul 2020 -- Only weeks after emerging from lengthy lockdowns that battered their fragile economies, an upsurge in coronavirus infections in Central Asia has forced officials to reimpose restrictions that will close businesses and leave people jobless.
• Kazakhstan Plans Reimposing Lockdown Amid Surge In Coronavirus Cases RFE/RL 01 Jul 2020 -- Kazakhstan's government has presented a plan to reintroduce lockdown measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus after a sharp rise in infections.

June

• COVID-19: Kazakh President Orders New Restrictions After Surge In Cases RFE/RL 29 Jun 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 500,000, with more than 10.1 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• Kazkah Police Detain Men Picketing Chinese Embassy Over Detained Relatives In Xinjiang RFE/RL 26 Jun 2020 -- Police have detained two men who staged separate pickets outside the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, demanding the release of relatives being held in custody in China's northwestern Xinjiang region.
• Kazakh Health Minister Replaced As Coronavirus Cases Surge RFE/RL 25 Jun 2020 -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has replaced the Central Asian nation's health minister amid a surge in coronavirus cases and renewed lockdowns.
• Kazakh Activist Convicted Of Criticizing Government's Coronavirus Response RFE/RL 23 Jun 2020 -- An activist who criticized Kazakhstan's ruling party on social media has been convicted of spreading "false information" about the coronavirus and banned from social or political activism for five years, even as the government itself warns of a worsening outbreak.
• Former Kazakh President Nazarbaev Tests Positive For COVID-19 RFE/RL 18 Jun 2020 -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who continues to control the Central Asian country after his sudden resignation last year, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
• After Nazarbaev: A Review Of Kazakh President Toqaev's Tumultuous First Year RFE/RL 12 Jun 2020 -- Three days after winning some 71 percent of the vote in a snap presidential election in which "significant irregularities" were noted by a leading international election monitor, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev was sworn in as Kazakhstan's second president on June 12, 2019.
• Sixteen Kazakh Military Officers, Defense Officials Go On Trial Over Deadly Ammo Blasts RFE/RL 11 Jun 2020 -- Sixteen Kazakh military officers and Defense Ministry officials have gone on trial over a series of explosions at an ammunition warehouse that killed four people in June 2019.
• Kazakh Capital Renamed After Nazarbaev Changes Airport Code To NQZ RFE/RL 08 Jun 2020 -- The airport in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan, has changed its three-letter code to NQZ from TSE, a year after the city's name was changed from Astana to Nur-Sultan following the sudden resignation of the country's first president, Nursultan Nazarbaev.
• More Than 100 Detained At Kazakh Rallies Demanding Democratic Reforms RFE/RL 06 Jun 2020 -- More than 100 opposition activists have been detained by police in Kazakhstan where two opposition parties had planned to hold rallies on June 6 in several cities to demand democratic reforms in the Central Asian nation.

May

• Kazakh Parliament's Upper Chamber Approves Bill On 'Parliamentary Opposition' RFE/RL 28 May 2020 -- Kazakh parliament's upper chamber, the Senate, has approved a draft law introducing the concept of an opposition, legislation that has been dubbed in the media as the "parliamentary opposition" bill and harshly criticized as misleading by the tightly controlled Central Asian nation's political opposition.
• Kazakh COVID-19 Cemetery Has More Graves Than Reported Coronavirus Victims RFE/RL 25 May 2020 -- A cemetery said to be only for coronavirus victims in the southwestern Kazakh city of Almaty and the surrounding region appears to hold many more bodies than the area's number of reported COVID-19 deaths.
• Kazakhstan Reforms Protest Law Amid Tough Criticism From Rights Groups RFE/RL 25 May 2020 -- Kazakhstan has reformed laws on strictly controlled peaceful assembly that critics say fall short of international human rights standards and amount to window dressing.
• Under The Cover Of The Coronavirus, Kazakh Activists Face Renewed Pressure RFE/RL 23 May 2020 -- Officials in Kazakhstan have recently begun easing the lockdown that was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
• COVID-19: Kazakh NGOs Demand Detailed Report On Spending; Iran Allows All Mosques To Open Temporarily RFE/RL 12 May 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is some 286,000 with more than 4.1 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
• COVID-19: Putin Ends Russia's 'Nonworking Period'; Kazakhstan Eases Restrictions RFE/RL 11 May 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is some 283,000 with 4.1 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
• Kazakhstan says spread of coronavirus has slowed SPA 06 May 2020 -- The spread of the novel coronavirus in Kazakhstan has slowed in recent days, the Central Asian nation's government said on Wednesday, indicating it could exit a state of emergency next week. Reuters reported.
• Election Of New Kazakh Parliament Speaker Sparks Talk Of Power Struggle RFE/RL 04 May 2020 -- The former deputy chief of the Kazakh presidential administration, Maulen Ashimbaev, has replaced as parliament speaker Dariga Nazarbaeva, the daughter of former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, in a sign of a possible power struggle at the top of the country's leadership.
• What's Behind The Ouster Of Nazarbaev's Powerful Daughter In Kazakhstan? RFE/RL 04 May 2020 -- The abrupt dismissal from parliament of Darigha Nazarbaeva -- the powerful chairwoman of the Senate and eldest daughter of Kazakhstan's founding father, Nursultan Nazarbaev -- has raised questions about the country's political leadership and the future of the ruling family.
• Crony Charities Spring Up In Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Amid COVID-19 Crisis RFE/RL 02 May 2020 -- Charities are springing up everywhere around the world to help those suffering from the coronavirus and the lockdown measures taken to stop it from spreading.
• Kazakh President Dismisses Nazarbaev's Daughter As Speaker Of Parliament RFE/RL 02 May 2020 -- Darigha Nazarbaeva, the daughter of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, has been dismissed from her post as speaker of the upper house of parliament.

April

• Plunge In Oil Prices Deals Another Blow To Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan RFE/RL 23 Apr 2020 -- When the crucial OPEC+ meeting broke up on March 8 after major disagreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia, it sent the price of oil plunging.
• Rights Defenders Accuse Kazakh Authorities Of Using Coronavirus Restrictions To Stifle Dissent RFE/RL 20 Apr 2020 -- Rights defenders in Kazakhstan say the government is using restrictions imposed to slow the coronavirus outbreak to crack down on dissent.
• Nazarbaev And Kazakhstan's Security Council Out Of Sight Amid Coronavirus Crisis RFE/RL 18 Apr 2020 -- Kazakh officials are working to guide the country through the health crisis caused by the coronavirus and the dramatic economic effects of a drastic drop in global prices for oil, the country's major export.
• Kazakh Hospital A Coronavirus 'Hotspot' After Hundreds Of Staff, Patients Infected RFE/RL 17 Apr 2020 -- A hospital in Almaty -- the largest city in Kazakhstan -- has become the country's COVID-19 hotspot with nearly 200 health-care workers and many patients testing positive for the coronavirus.
• China-Kazakhstan ties unaffected by online article amid joint fight against pandemic: Chinese envoy Global Times 17 Apr 2020 -- China and Kazakhstan are joining hands in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, and friendly relations between the two would not be affected at all by a minor episode caused by an online article by some we-media, the Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
• MiG-31 Crashes in Kazakhstan's Karaganda Region Due to Fire in One of Engines - Defence Ministry Sputnik 16 Apr 2020 -- The incident took place on 16 April during a scheduled flight preparing for combat duty in the vicinity of the Kazakhstan's city of Karaganda.
• Kazakhstan Protests Over Chinese Article Questioning Its Territorial Integrity RFE/RL 14 Apr 2020 -- Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry has officially protested an article published on a Chinese website that questioned Kazakhstan's territorial integrity.
• Kazakhstan to extend coronavirus emergency to end of April SPA 10 Apr 2020 -- Kazakhstan will extend its state of emergency declared over the coronavirus outbreak until the end of April, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's office said on Friday, Reuters reported.
• London Court Dismisses Attempt To Seize Properties Linked To Nazarbaev Family RFE/RL 08 Apr 2020 -- A British court has dismissed an attempt by the country's National Crime Agency (NCA) to seize a luxurious London mansion and two other properties linked to the family of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.

March

• Kazakh Authorities Detain 25 Over Deadly Ethnic Clashes In February RFE/RL 27 Mar 2020 -- Kazakh authorities say they have detained 25 people during a police operation connected to February's deadly ethnic clashes in the southern region of Zhambyl.
• Nazarbaev Comes Asking Beleaguered Kazakhs, Once Again, For Donations Amid Crisis RFE/RL 26 Mar 2020 -- A call went out to the people of Kazakhstan on March 20 urging them not to stand on the sidelines but to be active in helping the country's president and his government through a batch of pressing problems.
• Kazakh Security Officials Arrest Man They Say Was Plotting 'Terrorist' Attack RFE/RL 26 Mar 2020 -- The National Security Committee for Kazakhstan says it has arrested a man suspected of plotting a terrorist act in Nur-Sultan, the capital of the Central Asian nation.
• COVID-19: Kazakhstan Locks Down Two Main Cities; Iran Warns Virus Could Kill 'Millions' RFE/RL 17 Mar 2020 -- Kazakh authorities have imposed a quarantine on the capital, Nur-Sultan, and largest city, Almaty, after the number of people infected with coronavirus in the country more than doubled overnight to 33.
• Kazakh President Declares Nationwide Emergency Over COVID-19 Beginning on Monday Sputnik 15 Mar 2020 -- Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a decree to introduce a nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on Monday, the presidential office said on Sunday.
• COVID-19: First Uzbek Case Recorded As Kazakhstan Declares State Of Emergency RFE/RL 15 Mar 2020 -- Uzbekistan early on March 15 reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19, with the government saying the infected person was an Uzbek citizen returning from France.
• Kazakhstan Cancels Norouz, Military Celebrations To Ward Off Coronavirus RFE/RL 12 Mar 2020 -- Kazakhstan has launched preventive measures against possible coronavirus spread, including canceling Norouz holiday celebrations and a military parade devoted to the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
• Kazakh FM Says Syria Talks In Nur-Sultan Likely Postponed RFE/RL 10 Mar 2020 -- Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi says it's unlikely the so-called "Astana format" peace talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital will happen this month as planned.
• Kazakhstan Lowers Lending Rate Amid Plunging Oil Prices Over Virus Fears RFE/RL 10 Mar 2020 -- Fears over the spread of a new respiratory illness originating in China have led to an average drop of 25 percent in the price of oil and prompted oil-rich Kazakhstan's central bank to hike its policy rate to 12 percent from 9.25 percent.
• Kazakhstan To Cut State Budget Following Sharp Drop In Oil Prices RFE/RL 09 Mar 2020 -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has ordered the resource-rich Central Asian nation's government to cut spending following a sharp drop in the price of oil.
• Russia Bound? Dungans Don't Believe In 'Peaceful Future' After Deadly Ethnic Conflict In Kazakhstan RFE/RL 05 Mar 2020 -- The mistrust is palpable among the local communities in southern Kazakhstan's Qordai district nearly a month after ethnic clashes between Kazakhs and Dungans claimed 11 lives and injured dozens of others.

February

• Authorities In Kazakhstan Agree To Move Coronavirus Quarantine Center RFE/RL 20 Feb 2020 -- Authorities in the East Kazakhstan region have agreed to move a coronavirus quarantine center from a village in the Zaisan district bordering China to the regional capital following protests by residents.
• Kazakh Authorities Launch Some 90 Inquiries Into Deadly Ethnic Clashes RFE/RL 19 Feb 2020 -- Kazakh authorities have launched about 90 investigations into the ethnic clashes in the southern region of Zhambyl that claimed 11 lives on February 7-8.
• Death Toll In Ethnic Clashes In Kazakhstan's South Rises To 11 RFE/RL 13 Feb 2020 -- The death toll in violent ethnic clashes last week between Kazakhs and ethnic Dungans in Kazakhstan's south, which shocked the Central Asian nation, has risen to 11.
• Dungan Incident Just Kazakhstan's Latest Interethnic Violence RFE/RL 10 Feb 2020 -- Interethnic violence has broken out again in southeastern Kazakhstan, this time involving ethnic Kazakhs and members of Kazakhstan's Dungan community.
• Kazakh President Replaces Regional Governor Following Deadly Ethnic Clashes RFE/RL 10 Feb 2020 -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has sacked the governor of the southern Zhambyl region following deadly ethnic clashes in the area over the weekend.
• Kazakhs Start Returning Home From Kyrgyzstan After Weekend Ethnic Violence RFE/RL 10 Feb 2020 -- More than 1,000 Kazakh nationals have crossed from Kyrgyzstan into neighboring Kazakhstan on February 9, following reports of inter-ethnic clashes that erupted two days earlier in a cluster of five villages of Kazakhstan from which many fled and entered the next-door country.
• Death Toll Rises To 10 From Ethnically Fueled Kazakh Clashes RFE/RL 09 Feb 2020 -- Kazakh Deputy Interior Minister Aleksei Kalayichi has raised the death toll to 10 from ethnically fueled violence that erupted in a village in southern Kazakhstan late on February 7 and spread to nearby communities.
• Fossil Fuel Giants Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Slowly Going Green RFE/RL 08 Feb 2020 -- Long beholden to fossil fuels for all of their energy, the two most populous countries in Central Asia seem to finally be tapping into their abundant renewable resources.
• At Least Eight Dead As Villagers Brawl, Torch Houses In Ethnic Clashes In Kazakhstan RFE/RL 08 Feb 2020 -- Villagers brawled in ethnic clashes in a southern Kazakh district, with groups of men torching houses, overturning cars, and sending hundreds fleeing into neighboring Kyrgyzstan. At least eight people were killed.
• Ethnic Clashes in Kazakhstan Leave at Least 8 Dead as Villagers Brawl, Torch Houses VOA 08 Feb 2020 -- Villagers brawled in ethnic clashes in a southern Kazakh district, with groups of men torching houses, overturning cars and sending hundreds fleeing into neighboring Kyrgyzstan. At least eight people were killed.

January

• Pompeo Heads To Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan --Trailed By U.S. Turmoil RFE/RL 29 Jan 2020 -- In Belarus, there are growing questions about how drastic a shift Alyaksandr Lukashenka is making away from Russia and toward the West.
• Kazakhstan Shutting Down Transport Links With China Over Coronavirus Fears RFE/RL 29 Jan 2020 -- Kazakhstan says it is suspending all forms of passenger travel to and from neighboring China, as an outbreak of a new coronavirus continued to widen.
• China Asked To Allow Kazakh Students To Leave Locked-Down City RFE/RL 28 Jan 2020 -- Kazakhstan's government says it has asked Beijing to allow 98 Kazakh students to leave the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a virus outbreak that has killed more than 100 people.
• Kazakh Court Rules That Two Ethnic Kazakhs Will Not Be Deported To China RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- A court in Kazakhstan has ruled that two ethnic-Kazakh men from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang who are on trial for illegally crossing the border in October will not be deported to China.
• Lukashenka Says Russia Blocking Kazakhstan From Delivering Oil To Belarus RFE/RL 21 Jan 2020 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russia is blocking deliveries of Kazakh oil amid a tariff dispute with Moscow, Minsk's regular supplier.
• Former Kazakh Minister Accused In Deadly Protests Named Head Of State Guard Service RFE/RL 16 Jan 2020 -- Former Kazakh Interior Minister Qalmukhanbet Qasymov, whom rights defenders accuse of ordering police to open fire at a protest by oil workers, has become the chief of the Central Asian nation's State Guard Service.
• Court Rules That Ethnic Kazakh Will Not Be Deported To China RFE/RL 16 Jan 2020 -- A court in Kazakhstan has ruled that an ethnic-Kazakh man from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang who is on trial for illegally crossing the border will not be deported to China.
• HRW Accuses Kazakh Authorities Of 'Improperly' Prosecuting Asylum Seekers From China RFE/RL 09 Jan 2020 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Kazakhstan of "improperly" prosecuting two ethnic Kazakhs for crossing the border from China as they seek asylum in the former Soviet republic.
• Trial Of Two Ethnic Kazakhs From China Postponed Amid Protests In Kazakhstan RFE/RL 07 Jan 2020 -- A trial of two ethnic Kazakhs charged with illegally crossing into Kazakhstan from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang has been postponed amid protests in the eastern Kazakh town of Zaisan.