(Almaty, Kazakhstan – March 24, 2026) Erzart Bolatkhan clutches onto his last hope in seeking justice for his younger brother—a petition letter. Since 2017, his family has been torn in two: one half under the sunlight of Kazakhstan, the other buried behind the high prison walls of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
His younger brother, 38-year-old Berzat Bolatkhan, is currently serving a long 17-year sentence. According to his family, the “crime” that led to his imprisonment was merely discussing relocation to Kazakhstan on the social media platform WeChat.
“They told my father the prison was overcrowded and he might be released soon,” Erzart recalled in the petition, describing the early days after his brother’s disappearance in April 2017. “They said it was just an ‘investigation.’”
The details of Berzat’s case are particularly harsh. According to the petition submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, his “trial” process was conducted almost entirely in secrecy:
No lawful investigation, no public trial, no court hearing.
To date , the family has received no formal court verdict or official investigative report.
When their father, Bolatkhan Kapysuly, tried to seek answers, he was met with a warning from law enforcement: “If you continue looking for your son, you will also be imprisoned.”
This kind of “administrative disappearance” has become a shared nightmare among families of ethnic minorities in the region. What further burdens the family is that, although Berzat has been deprived of his freedom by the state, his father is still required to send $40 per month (approximately 290 RMB) to the prison to cover his son’s basic living expenses.
For many ethnic Kazakhs living in the Tarbagatay region of Xinjiang, Kazakhstan is not just a neighboring country, but a homeland tied by blood. However, with the tightening of border controls and ideological surveillance in recent years, this cross-border identity has become a dangerous signal.
“Discussing emigration on WeChat is interpreted as a betrayal of loyalty to the state,” said Dr. Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid. “A 17-year sentence is typically reserved for extremely serious charges, but in the absence of transparency, such a harsh punishment appears more like a deterrent tactic.”
Currently, Erzart has made his personal identity and contact information public, appealing to the international community for assistance.
“I sincerely ask international human rights organizations to help my brother,” Erzart wrote. In this highly advanced technological era, a single encrypted or even unencrypted message can become the shackles that end a person’s youth.
ChinaAid will continue to follow developments in this case.
