OSKEMEN, Kazakhstan -- A court in the northeastern city of Oskemen on December 19 rejected a request for the early release of a nephew of Kazakhstan's former strongman president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who was handed a six-year prison term on fraud and embezzlement charges last year.
In September 2022, a court in the Kazakh capital, Astana, also stripped Qairat Satybaldy of the rank of major general and of his membership in the National Security Committee. He was also barred from occupying state posts for 10 years.
The 53-year-old Satybaldy, once an extremely powerful person, pleaded guilty to all charges at the time.
Satybaldy was arrested in March 2022 while trying to board a plane to Turkey. The probe launched against him was one of a series of investigations targeting relatives and allies of Nazarbaev.
Satybaldy's former wife, Gulmira, was also arrested in March 2022 and sentenced to seven years in prison in May 2023 on charges of abduction and aiding a crime. In June, another court added one more year to her sentence after convicting her of embezzlement and the illegal takeover of a private business.
In April, a court in Astana handed the former chief of the National Security Committee, Karim Masimov, known as a longtime close ally of Nazarbaev, an 18-year prison term on charges of high treason, attempting to seize power by force, and abuse of office and power.
After unprecedented anti-government protests in January 2022, the Kazakh regime began to quietly target Nazarbaev, his family, and his allies, many of whom held powerful or influential posts in government, security agencies, and profitable energy companies.
SEE ALSO: Kazakhstan Still Not Allowing Space For ProtestsThe protests began in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen over an abrupt fuel-price hike. But the demonstrations quickly grew into broader unrest against corruption and widespread abuse.
Much of the protesters' anger appeared directed at Nazarbaev, who ruled Kazakhstan from 1989 until March 2019, when he handed over power to his then-ally Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. However, Nazarbaev was widely believed to remain in control behind the scenes.
The protests were violently dispersed by police and military personnel, including troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization that President Toqaev invited into the country, claiming that "20,000 extremists who were trained in terrorist camps abroad" attacked Almaty.
The authorities have provided no evidence proving Toqaev's claim about foreign terrorists.