Kazakhstan activist freed but banned from activism

NUR-SULTAN: A popular activist in Kazakhstan who was jailed for five years after land protests rocked the authoritarian regime in 2016 was released from prison on Thursday but banned from activism for three years.

The rallies against proposed land code changes marked one of the biggest challenges to the regime of Nursultan Nazarbayev, 80, who stepped down in 2019 after three decades in power but remains a leading politician.

Activist Maks Bokayev, 47, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2016 on charges of inciting social discord and spreading disinformation.

The proposed changes, which would have extended leases on land available to foreigners to 25 years from 10, were eventually shelved amid the unrest.

Many protesters complained the reform threatened to hand over land in the energy-rich country of 19 million people to businesses from neighbouring China.

Documents from a court in the western town of Atyrau seen by AFP say that Bokayev will be unable to engage in activism for three years following his release.

Human Rights Watch told AFP Thursday that the restriction on Bokayev's activities should be lifted "as a matter of urgency".

Bokayev appeared to ignore the restriction and headed straight for Atyrau's central square after his release and called for fresh rallies and a new constitution, according to footage shared on social media.

Bokayev was well known for raising environmental and social justice issues in his native western Kazakhstan and shot to national prominence following his arrest.

A team of journalists travelling from the northwestern town of Uralsk, 500 kilometres (300 miles) away, complained authorities deployed traffic police to try to prevent them reaching Atyrau to meet Bokayev.

Dozens of people greeted Bokayev following his release.

Last year, Kazakhstan eased some restrictions on tightly-controlled public demonstrations.

But critics of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev argue there have been no significant changes since Nazarbayev resigned with demonstrators still routinely detained and rights groups slapped with arbitrary penalties.

Nazarbayev still chairs Kazakhstan's national security council as well as the ruling Nur Otan party that cruised to victory in a parliamentary vote last month.