The detention of outspoken Karakalpak activist Aqylbek Muratbai in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has been extended to February 15, 2025 – a full year.
Muratbai, also known as Muratov, was initially detained on February 15, 2024, in Almaty for 40 days while Kazakh authorities considered an extradition request from Uzbekistan.
Despite holding an Uzbek passport, Muratbai has legally lived in Kazakhstan for a decade. Following violence in Nukus, the capital of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, in July 2022, after Tashkent proposed a constitutional change threatening the autonomous republic’s sovereignty, Muratbai emerged as a prominent voice for the Karakalpak people.
According to Freedom for Eurasia, Uzbek authorities have charged Muratbai with inciting mass disorder and violence, as well as producing or displaying materials that threaten public safety. These charges appear to stem from his sharing of a video featuring Karakalpak activist Koshkarbai Toremuratov speaking at the October 2023 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. Additionally, the case against Muratbai revolves around his promotion of a memorial event held 500 days after the Nukus events, where activists advocated for a 16-minute lights-out protest in honor of Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, a Karakalpak lawyer and journalist sentenced by an Uzbek court.
Kazakh authorities have a pattern of detaining Karakalpak activists pending extradition requests for the maximum legal duration. Five activists detained in 2022 spent a year in jail before being released without extradition to Uzbekistan, despite asylum requests being denied.
In late February, Muratbai received an asylum seeker’s certificate, temporarily preventing his extradition. Human rights organizations have strongly criticized his detention.
On March 18, the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan sent a letter urging fair treatment of Karakalpak asylum seekers to the Kazakh government and relevant bodies.
The letter emphasized the non-political nature of asylum and called for adherence to international law principles to protect individuals from threats based on race, religion, nationality, social group, or political opinion.
Kazakhstan’s handling of asylum and refugee requests has been scrutinized for its strictness.
