BEIJING (AP) 鈥� A court in Kazakhstan convicted 19 activists after a protest against Beijing鈥檚 crackdown in China鈥檚 far-western Xinjiang region last year, in what experts and advocates said was the largest move yet by the Kazakh government to silence criticism at Beijing鈥檚 behest.
The activists, all of whom were Kazakh nationals, protested near the border with China in November, burning Chinese flags and portraits of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and calling for the release of a Kazakh citizen detained in Xinjiang last year.
Eleven activists were sentenced to five years in prison for 鈥渋nciting discord,鈥� while the other eight were given restrictions on their movement. Shinquat Baizhan, a lawyer representing the activists, confirmed the sentences, which were also reported in local media.
Though Kazakhs speaking out against China鈥檚 policies in Xinjiang have long faced pressure, advocacy groups say this is the first time such a large group of Xinjiang activists has been imprisoned in the country.
鈥淭his is unprecedented,鈥� said Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. 鈥淚t signals that Kazakhstan is willing to sacrifice freedom of its people to maintain good relations with Beijing.鈥�
The Chinese government launched a brutal crackdown in Xinjiang starting in 2017, Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnicities into prisons and internment camps. Though many have since been released, , with .
Xinjiang has long been a touchy issue in neighboring Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country of 20 million people that relies on China as a major trading partner. The Kazakh government opened criminal investigations targeting the protesters after receiving a diplomatic note from the Chinese consulate in Almaty, Kazakhstan鈥檚 largest city, Uluyol said.
The note, which The Associated Press obtained and reviewed, called the protest 鈥渁n open provocation against the national dignity of the People鈥檚 Republic of China and an insult to the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people.鈥�
In a statement, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the sentencing an 鈥渋nternal affair鈥� and praised Kazakhstan as a 鈥渇riendly neighbor鈥� that is 鈥渇amiliar with China鈥檚 policies on governing Xinjiang.”
The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.
The protesters were members of Atajurt, an organization that advocates for the rights of Chinese-born Kazakhs facing repression in China. Xinjiang is home to over a million ethnic Kazakhs, and many more who face restrictions on their movement to this day.
Atajurt has long faced pressure from the Kazakh government, an authoritarian state with . Authorities , releasing him into exile after extracting a promise not to engage in political activities.
But the Kazakh government remained tolerant of the organization鈥檚 activities to a certain extent, mindful of widespread sympathy in Kazakhstan toward the Chinese-born Kazakh population,
That appears to have changed, Uluyol said, as Kazakhstan has edged closer to China and authorities in Kazakhstan show less tolerance for groups protesting Beijing’s policies.
Bilash, Atajurt鈥檚 founder, says the arrests would have widespread ramifications. The group’s work included providing financial support for the relatives of people who were detained in Xinjiang, writing letters supporting them to embassies and the United Nations, and taping hundreds of testimonies by people looking for missing loved ones.
鈥淭he world will lose more than just a human rights organization; it will lose the biggest window into the humanitarian disaster in neighboring Xinjiang,鈥� said Bilash, who is now living in exile in the United States.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
