​(ALMATY, Kazakhstan — July 2, 2026) A court in Kazakhstan has ordered a 10-day pretrial detention of the sister of exiled human rights advocate Serikzhan Bilash following a late-night police raid on her family’s home, escalating a case supporters say is politically motivated retaliation against one of Central Asia’s best-known critics of China’s treatment of ethnic Kazakhs.

Police in the Almaty Region raided the home of Batikha Bilashi in Saimasai Village on June 25, detaining her during an operation that also targeted other family members, as previously reported by ChinaAid News. On June 30, her defense attorney, Shynkuat Baizhanov, released video of the raid after an investigative court approved Batikha’s detention pending further investigation.

Authorities accuse Batikha of violating Article 190, Paragraph 3 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code, alleging she committed fraud by collecting money under the guise of providing humanitarian assistance to ethnic Kazakhs living abroad.

Kazakhstan, a Central Asian nation that shares a long border with China’s Xinjiang region, has faced criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of activists who document alleged abuses against ethnic Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. Batikha is the older sister of Serikzhan Bilash, who now lives in the United States after becoming one of the most prominent advocates for ethnic Kazakhs detained in Xinjiang and a frequent critic of Kazakhstan’s government.

Prosecutors say 20 complainants transferred money believing it would support humanitarian assistance for ethnic Kazakhs living abroad, but allege the funds were instead used for Batikha’s personal benefit.

Baizhanov rejected the allegations, calling the case “entirely fabricated” and politically motivated. He said Batikha never publicly solicited donations and instead received voluntary contributions from Serikzhan’s supporters after he directed them to send funds to her bank account. According to the defense, she transferred the money to her brother to support his advocacy work and public lectures.

Although authorities have presented the matter as a fraud investigation, the case has drawn wider attention because of Batikha’s family ties. While she has not been politically active herself, she has attended court hearings in support of members of the Atajurt human rights movement.

Baizhanov and some legal observers have questioned the severity of Batikha’s detention. Under Kazakhstan’s recently amended laws, women raising minor children may be allowed to postpone serving sentences even if convicted, while courts also have discretion to order house arrest in some financial crime cases.

Baizhanov compared Batikha’s case with another recent investigation handled by the same police department involving about 1 billion tenge (approximately US $2.2 million) and more than 500 alleged victims. In that case, he said, the defendant was placed under house arrest because of young children. Batikha’s case involves less than 1 million tenge (about US $2,200), yet she was taken into custody despite being 54 years old and having a heart condition.

“In our country, wherever politics becomes involved, the law can no longer function normally,” Baizhanov said.

He also alleged that the judge presiding over Batikha’s detention hearing left the courtroom for about an hour to confer privately before issuing the ruling.

“That simply does not happen in ordinary cases,” Baizhanov said, adding that he believes lower courts face political pressure in politically sensitive cases.

The defense has appealed to the Criminal Appeals Chamber of the Almaty Regional Court, asking that Batikha’s detention be replaced with house arrest. The legal team is also investigating the backgrounds of the 20 complainants to determine whether they were encouraged to make small transfers as part of a coordinated effort to implicate her.

Supporters of Serikzhan say they could quickly repay the full disputed amount, which they argue could satisfy a provision of Kazakh law allowing certain financial crime charges to be dismissed after restitution. They acknowledge, however, that it remains unclear whether authorities will treat the case as an ordinary criminal matter because of what they describe as its political dimensions.

Supporters and legal analysts say the case reflects a broader pattern in which governments target the relatives of exiled dissidents to pressure activists living abroad, a practice the U.S. government has described as transnational repression.

Baizhanov said that if appeals in Kazakhstan are unsuccessful, the legal team plans to take the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, and international human rights organizations, including the United Nations.

ChinaAid urged Kazakh authorities to end what it described as retaliation against the relatives of Atajurt activists. The organization also renewed its call for the reversal of criminal convictions handed down on April 19 against 19 activists, including 11 sentenced to five years in prison and eight who received non-custodial sentences.