ALMATY, Kazakhstan (June 26, 2026) — Kazakh authorities have detained the sister of prominent human rights activist Serikzhan Bilash after raiding her home in Almaty, according to family members and information confirmed by ChinaAid. The incident has raised renewed concerns that Beijing is extending its campaign of transnational repression into neighboring Kazakhstan.
According to Serikzhan, authorities searched the family’s residence Thursday before taking his 54-year-old sister, Batikha Bilaishi, into custody.
Kazakhstan, which shares a long border with China’s Xinjiang region, has become a focal point for concerns over cross-border repression because there is a large population of ethnic Kazakhs living there and activists have documented alleged abuses inside Xinjiang.
Serikzhan is an internationally known advocate for ethnic Kazakhs and other minorities held in detention camps in China’s Xinjiang region through testimonies gathered by Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, the organization he founded. Human rights organizations and observers have expressed concern that the raid may have been carried out under political pressure from neighboring China.
“The Chinese authorities are using the Kazakh authorities to retaliate against everyone who has exposed the truth about the Xinjiang detention camps, as well as their family members,” Serikzhan said. “This indicates that the reach of relevant policies has now extended into Kazakhstan.”
ChinaAid has reported on Xinjiang’s detention camp system since evidence of the camps first emerged publicly and has extensively documented concerns that Chinese authorities have sought to pressure activists and their families beyond China’s borders, particularly in neighboring Kazakhstan.
Police raid family home
According to Serikzhan, Batikha lost contact with her family Thursday evening. Relatives later learned she had been taken into police custody.
Later that evening, Batikha was briefly returned home before a large group of police officers and plainclothes personnel entered the residence to conduct a search, according to her husband, Amantay Agymolyda. She was then taken back to the police station.
Their minor daughter, Hadisha Amantay, described the raid.
“I was resting in my bedroom when several people entered and forced me to leave. I was terrified. My mother appeared pale and extremely weak. They did not allow me to re-enter the house. After they left, I discovered that the house had been completely ransacked.”
Amantay Agymolyda said officers confiscated several copies of the Qur’an, other religious books, old mobile phones and personal belongings during the search.
The family’s health condition has become an additional concern. According to Serikzhan, Batikha suffers from severe chronic heart disease requiring continuous medication and had experienced episodes of rapid heartbeat in the days before the raid.
Amantay later reported that Batikha fainted three or four times during the search and subsequent questioning because of her medical condition.
After returning from the police station early Friday, Amantay told relatives that police had transferred Batikha to the police department in Konayev, where she was expected to be held in administrative detention for 48 hours.
Long shadow of Xinjiang detention initiative
Serikzhan said he believes the raid was politically motivated and emphasized that Batikha is not an active human rights advocate. Although she previously attended hearings organized by Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, she stopped participating after local officials summoned and warned her, he said.
The family nevertheless has longstanding ties to Xinjiang. According to Serikzhan, Amantay’s two younger brothers, one younger sister and one sister-in-law are serving prison sentences in Xinjiang, which he described as arbitrary punishment linked to Amantay’s decision to become a Kazakh citizen and participate in human rights advocacy.
As of publication, Kazakh authorities had not publicly explained the search or Batikha’s detention.
Serikzhan urged the international community to closely monitor the situation of ethnic Kazakhs from Xinjiang now living in Kazakhstan. He also expressed concern that authorities could seek to deport his relatives to China despite both Batikha and Amantay holding Kazakh citizenship.
Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns.