Environmentalists are often at higher risk around the world and in Kazakhstan, in particular. According to experts, eco-activists are often taken as oppositionists and brought to justice.
A list of environmental issues in the regions of Kazakhstan is rather long – it contains both air and surface waters pollution and the imperfect system of waste treatment.
Eco-activists in the country not only bring outstanding issues to public discussion, but also try to solve them systematically. They not only actively struggle for the unique flora and fauna species, but also stand against the construction of hazardous plants and factories in the republic.
According to Askar Zhumagali, an expert in legal matters, the consequences of the devastating attitude of humans towards the environment is the issue to be solved by all society members.
“The number of eco-activists is increasing every day in Kazakhstan. This tendency is rather pleasing. However, today we do not have a proper culture of environmentalism and very often environmental activists are merely taken as oppositionists, which gives them a hard time,” Zhumagali said.
In 2021, Kazakhstan had real cases of pressure imposed on environmentalists.
The specific feature of such cases in Kazakhstan, just like in the global practice, is that law-enforcement bodies often support businesses. And some media outlets and organisations use such cases to discredit eco-activists by blaming them for implementing someone’s political will, executing orders of rivals, and undermining economic opportunities.
Against the gold mining giant
Attempts of residents of the village of Bestobe (Akmola region) to resist the launch of Kazakhaltyn Technology enriching factory, the affiliated company of Kazakhaltyn Concern, which, in their opinion, would aggravate poor environmental condition, have brought some of the most active residents to justice. The case was opened on a charge of “dissemination of misleading information” and some police questions about “involvement” in DVK (an extremist party banned in Kazakhstan).
At the end of August, a 47-year-old eco-activist, a native of Bestobe village, Nikolai Katchiyev, learned about two criminal cases opened against him, and on September 2, police officers broke into his house by shattering the window and scaring his 13-year-old son.
Katchiyev said that his active social work was the reason for the prosecution. He and other activists were reported to the police for disseminating misleading information about Kazakhaltyn Technology.
After the house-check Nikolai Katchiyev said that investigators tried to link him with the activities of Mukhtar Ablyazov, the leader of the DVK movement banned by court, and his laptop, tablet, SIM cards, and memory sticks were seized from him. The houses of Nikolai’s father and his younger brother were also checked. Katchiyev recognised it as crackdown on his family and on village residents.
“They do it to cast aspersions on the working group, to make people stop supporting us. They want to open the plant impudently and do not want to hold hearings, they put pressure on the people, forcing them to keep their mouth shut, so that we don’t fight for our village,” Katchiyev said (as cited from Vlast.kz).
According to him, the dust coming from the plant of Kazakhaltyn Technology is dispersed in the village. It is almost impossible to ventilate houses, dry clothes outdoors, walk with kids outside. And peculiar odour comes from the tailings storage facility of the plant, which leaves a specific taste in the mouth.
Back in early August, Katchiyev wrote a message to president Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev and to the General Prosecutor’s Office asking them to pay attention to environmental issues in Bestobe.
“As a result, what I had was broken windows, a scared child, and a criminal case,” he said.
Saving a unique oasis in the concrete jungle
Disputes around Lake Small Taldykol in the city of Nur-Sultan are still on the rise – eco-activists want to save it from filling and another metropolitan development. Despite the pollution, there are many fauna species in it. Artists, actors and activists hold protests on its shore.
Artist Askhat Akhmedyarov has held repeated campaigns and performances in support of Small Taldykol in the capital. However, he was brought to Yesil district police precinct for another performance in support of Small Taldykol.
According to the court press service, he was fined 34 dollars and issued a warning for the violations committed during his performance in support of Small Taldykol. The court considered the case under article 434 of the Administrative Code “Disorderly conduct” and article 667 of the Administrative Code “Disobedience of legal enactment or order of an officer (military servant) of a law-enforcement or special state body, military police authority, court enforcement officer, law-enforcement official”.
“Mr. Akhmedyarov, being at the construction site near Shygys residential estate, was using obscene language against Mr. L. and thus committed an unlawful act displaying apparent disrespect for the society, in other words, disorderly conduct,” the court said.
Also, the court said that Akhmedyarov resisted to the legitimate request of law-enforcement officers. The court found the artist guilty on both charges.
Earlier, Askhat Akhmedyarov had repeatedly held public and political campaigns and performances. In July, the artist together with colleagues protested against construction in Bozzhyra Gorge in Mangistau region. Back then, participants of the campaign in Nur-Sultan were detained by the police and fined.
A story of PCB waste and construction of a waste recycling plant
One year ago, wastes containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB, strong pollutants of the environment used in electrotechnical industry) were delivered to Stepnogorsk (Akmola region) for storage from Balkhash, namely Daryal-U radiolocation.
A few years ago, some portion of the waste was transported to Germany for recycling, and the remaining portion posed a risk for Lake Balkhash because toxic agents could penetrate into the lake. Therefore, they were packaged and delivered to Stepnogorsk.
At the same time, Ecolux-AS LLP, which delivered the wastes to the city, won the grant for installation of disposal equipment. The grant for the supply of equipment was organised by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation), Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and the ministry of ecology of Kazakhstan.
On June 12 this year, over a hundred of Stepnogorsk residents walked into the square in front of Gornyak community centre to protest against the construction of a waste recycling facility in the city. Afterwards, eco-activist and blogger Artyom Sochnev was fined. He was accused of organising the meeting of residents and violating sanitary laws during the pandemic.
In particular, a case on administrative offence was filed against him. He was charged with violation of the “Order of the chief state sanitary officer of the Republic of Kazakhstan on December 25, 2020 No. 68 art. 2 sub-paragraph 1”, which provides for banning of public events. Sochnev paid a fine in the amount of 43,755 tenge (103 dollars).
Intimidation for expression of opinions
“There is a law. It’s a different matter whether the law-enforcement practice in Kazakhstan is used properly and for the right purposes,” said independent legal expert Aidos Ualiyev.
According to him, despite the provisions of international law and convention designed to protect, environmental supporters are often at higher risk around the world.
“Unfortunately, Kazakhstan is not an exception. Generally speaking, unfounded detentions of either environmental activists, or activists in general are the evidence of intimidation of people for their peaceful opinions,” he said.