Unprecedented Mass Prosecution of Xinjiang Protesters
(London, January 15, 2026) – Kazakh authorities should drop charges against 18 Kazakh activists who peacefully protested against Chinese government abuses in Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch said today. The activists, from the Nagyz Atajurt Volunteers group, face up to 10 years in prison for exercising their freedom of expression. Thirteen are in pretrial detention, while the rest are under house arrest. The trial is expected to begin on January 21 in the city of Taldykorgan.
“Kazakh authorities should withdraw the criminal charges against the Atajurt activists and release those in detention immediately,” said Maya Wang, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of aiding China’s repression, the Kazakh government should press the Chinese government to stop its crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.”
The charges of “inciting national discord” stem from a November 13, 2025 demonstration in Qalzhat, Almaty’s Uyghur District, where activists burned three Chinese flags and a portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Protesters demanded that the Chinese authorities release Alimnur Turganbay as they were chanting slogans such as “Stop the pressure and injustice against Kazakh and Uyghur peoples” and “Down with the Communist Party! Down with Xi Jinping!” A Kazakhstan citizen originally from Xinjiang, Turganbay has been detained on unknown grounds by Chinese authorities since July 2025.
This is the first time Kazakh authorities have sought to criminally prosecute in a single case such a large group of activists advocating for human rights in Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch said.
According to the indictment, the activists “premeditatively gathered … using mass media, with the aim of inciting national discord, as well as insulting the national dignity and honor of representatives of the Chinese nationality.” State-ordered forensic examinations of the protest video—which demonstrators had posted on social media after the event—allegedly found “signs of incitement to interethnic discord or national enmity.”
Evidence suggests Kazakh authorities may be acting at China’s request. Kazakh police initially detained the protesting activists on November 13, and an administrative court convicted them of “hooliganism,” imposing sanctions ranging from fines to 15 days’ detention.
On November 14, the Chinese Consulate in Almaty sent a diplomatic note to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling the protest a “deliberately planned … open provocation” and urged authorities to “take appropriate measures.” Kazakh authorities then opened a criminal investigation into the activists.
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