Overview

The authorities continued to use overly broad charges of spreading false information and inciting ethnic, social, racial and religious discord to silence critical voices and suppress dissent. Detentions and prosecutions of civil society activists and ordinary citizens exercising their right to peaceful protest continued. NGOs and political opposition groups came under increasing pressure from the authorities, accused of using foreign funding to undermine the country and its “traditional values”. Similar charges were made against the LGBTI community, which continued to face discrimination. Impunity persisted for the majority of serious human rights violations committed during the January 2022 protests. Kazakhstan’s reliance on fossil fuels continued and the president appeared to be reneging on commitments for a green transition.