So what was happening in the neighboring country these days, and why was it decided to raise this question on our information and analytical portal?
The fact is that the Kazakh authorities some time ago decided to initiate amendments to the current Land Code of the country. With the growing number of economic problems due to falling oil prices, which many exporters of “black gold” are facing today, official Astana decides to find alternative mechanisms to fill the state budget. As one of such mechanisms, the authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan decided to carry out a certain kind of changes to the Land Code.
The changes concern, for example, the fact that the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan will be able to privatize and buy back land that is not used by the state. But that was not the stumbling block. The amendments indicated that foreign citizens will be able to get an opportunity for medium-term land leases in Kazakhstan. The time for which citizens of foreign countries will be able to lease land from the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is limited to 25 years. No changes due to the fact that after the expiration of this period, foreign individuals and legal entities will be able to formalize this land into ownership, the document does not provide.
Despite the fact that we are talking about the possibility of foreigners renting land, there were a considerable number of citizens in Kazakhstan who considered that the amendments to the Land Code affected the statehood and sovereignty of Kazakhstan. Apparently, the key word of the bill “foreigners” has become a major irritant for individual citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The first groups of Kazakhstanis began to form, who expressed dissatisfaction with the initiative of the authorities of the republic. And if at first the protests were fairly calm, by mid-May, Kazakhstani nationalists decided to ride the wave of these same protests, announcing that Nursultan Nazarbayev "is selling the country to the Chinese." Sells or offers to rent - during the protests, no one was going to concretize, but in the end it all came down to the protest formula “rent = sale”.
21 May on the streets of several large cities (and not only in the north of the Republic of Kazakhstan) - Atyrau, Uralsk, Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk), Astana, Almaty (Alma-Ata) - protests took place. Unauthorized ... Several thousand people took part in them, among whom radical nationalists behaved most actively. Initially, the main slogan was a slogan about dubious amendments to the Land Code, and then from the crowd cursed at President Nazarbayev and shouts in the Kazakh “It's time for the old man to leave!”
Not without frank provocations, when the most zealous protesters decided on the Maidan scenario to face off with law enforcement officials. The most zealous were caught and taken to the investigation sites.
And, it’s necessary that the Kazakh police didn’t have time to “accept” the first “violent” rally, the most democratic media in the world decided to get involved - well, the very ones that are not used to express outrage if, for example, French police are poisoning protesters tear gas and shoots rubber bullets, but which is violently outraged in cases where the police perform their duties in countries that are "in the sights of democracy." One of these countries is Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan "daughter" Radio Liberty immediately published a heart-rending footage of how Kazakhstani policemen wring their hands in a pink blouse. Apparently, the young lady is more concerned about the "Nazarbayev regime" and the fact that "the Chinese are about to take the land from her."
One more:
Another immensely democratic structure - Amnesty International demanded that the authorities of Kazakhstan immediately release all the detainees, whom they routinely called “activists”. From materials Amnesty International:
The authorities of Kazakhstan should immediately and unconditionally release more than three dozen activists who were arrested, probably in order to prevent the holding of peaceful demonstrations. (...)
From 17 to 19 in May, at least 24 people were detained in different parts of Kazakhstan: Manas Abdimanapra, Makhambet Abzhan, Moldir Adilova, Suyundyk Aldabergenov, Baurzhan Alipkaliyev, Ibrahim Alserke, Talgat Ayan, Max Bokaev, Aybolat Bukenov, Zadyra, Zadyra, Zadyra, Zydyra, Zydyra, Zydyra, Zyhira, Azerbaijan, Azrakhar Ilyasuly, Farida Ishmukhametova, Geroykhan Kistaubaev, Kasym Kozhantaev, caterpillar, Daniyar Kultaev, Kuat Kunbolatov, Aslan Kurmanbayev, Kurmangazy Rakhmetov, Kuanysh Sultanalin, Kenzhebek Sultanbekov, Bakhytzhan Toregozhina, Marat U Utr
At least 34 activists were arrested throughout Kazakhstan, and many of them for the “crime” that they publicly declared their intention to take part in the peaceful protest actions of 21 in May, or that they published information about these promotions on Facebook or other social networks.
From 17 to 19 in May, at least 24 people were detained in different parts of Kazakhstan: Manas Abdimanapra, Makhambet Abzhan, Moldir Adilova, Suyundyk Aldabergenov, Baurzhan Alipkaliyev, Ibrahim Alserke, Talgat Ayan, Max Bokaev, Aybolat Bukenov, Zadyra, Zadyra, Zadyra, Zydyra, Zydyra, Zydyra, Zyhira, Azerbaijan, Azrakhar Ilyasuly, Farida Ishmukhametova, Geroykhan Kistaubaev, Kasym Kozhantaev, caterpillar, Daniyar Kultaev, Kuat Kunbolatov, Aslan Kurmanbayev, Kurmangazy Rakhmetov, Kuanysh Sultanalin, Kenzhebek Sultanbekov, Bakhytzhan Toregozhina, Marat U Utr
At least 34 activists were arrested throughout Kazakhstan, and many of them for the “crime” that they publicly declared their intention to take part in the peaceful protest actions of 21 in May, or that they published information about these promotions on Facebook or other social networks.
Kazakh law enforcement officers actually left in custody those who actively used social networks to recruit protesters. At the same time, on the pages in the aforementioned Facebook, there were published not just calls to come “for a peaceful rally”, but also statements about the need to change the Kazakh authorities. In three times democratic Washington, it is possible to get a life sentence for this, and in undemocratic Kazakhstan, an arrest for 48 hours. But since the activity of “freedom” and “international amnesty” does not extend to Washington for obvious reasons, they can afford to “pinch” Astana ...
In general, this time the cultivation of “Facebook land Maidan” went, which our common “partners” would love to do in Kazakhstan.
Another thing is that in this situation “official” was almost not encouraged by official Astana itself, which, against the background of the economic crisis, decided to raise the issue of renting land by foreigners. Initially, it was clear that such an initiative is a real gift for the radicals of the Kazakhstani spill, who will try to ride the wave of quite understandable popular discontent. If the authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan really believe that the 25-year lease of land by foreigners will add to the country's budget money that can give an impetus to the economy, this raises questions to the authorities of Kazakhstan. Still, it seems that not “Yatsenyuk” sit there, and therefore others can find - more realistic sources of replenishment of the treasury (without citizens' discontent).
Due to the obvious tension in the society (regarding the new amendments to the Land Code), it was decided to postpone consideration of these amendments in Kazakhstan. And the nationalists have already started up! .. They say: we want to continue the banquet! .. But Nursultan Abishevich is not Viktor Fedorovich, not for the first year in the presidential chair, and many “Maidans” have seen their neighbors to continue this “banquet” in the same spirit. .. He stopped, pondered, set goals ... The main thing is that the results of the amendment of the Land Code, as in one great independent power, should not be reduced to "preparing for the land." Well then, Abishevich is in power, so that without hysteria and without gifts to the radicals.