(Almaty, December 1, 2025) In a barren area near China’s Xinjiang border, an estimated forty Kazakh citizens held an unauthorized protest, burning Chinese flags and setting fire to a portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping while chanting slogans against China’s local influence and demanding the release of a Kazakh truck driver detained in Xinjiang.
The scene was filmed and rapidly circulated on social media. Videos show participants burning three Chinese flags and a portrait of Xi Jinping, with police standing nearby on alert. Police later announced that the gathering was illegal and launched a criminal investigation against some participants for inciting ethnic hatred.
Police Say the Gathering Was Unauthorized; 18 Arrested
Police in the Shonzhy district of the Almaty region stated, “On November 13, an unauthorized gathering was dispersed. Participants engaged in illegal acts, including burning the flag of a foreign country and portraits of its leader.”
According to data published by the police, 17 individuals were arrested, 12 of whom were placed in 15-day pretrial detention; later, one additional individual was detained. Five others were placed under house arrest with electronic ankle monitors and face criminal charges.
(Photo provided by Galym Rakizhan)
Police announced that an investigation has been launched under Article 174 of the Criminal Code regarding “inciting ethnic hatred” with a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Lawyers for several detainees have become involved.
(Photo provided by Galym Rakizhan)
An individual familiar with the case says at least four women are among those detained, including Nazigul Maksutkan, who is seven months pregnant. A local doctor firmly stated, “She is seven months pregnant and cannot wear an electronic ankle monitor,” but the police were indifferent.
Kazakh law prohibits public gatherings without authorization. Police emphasized that those involved may face criminal charges.
Protest Sparked by Xinjiang Detention Case: Truck Driver ‘missing’ for Three Months
The immediate trigger for the protest was the detention of 47-year-old Kazakh truck driver Alimnur Turganbay in Xinjiang.
According to his family and Atajurt Eriktileri (Homeland Volunteers) Kazakh Human Rights, the driver was detained this summer when entering Xinjiang on suspicion of “dual nationality” and has not been released. His wife, Guldaria Sherizat, repeatedly sought help from Kazakh police and diplomatic offices and was fined and detained several times for participating in rights-defense activities.
Kazakh authorities have not publicly commented on the driver’s situation, and China has not responded.
According to the organization’s U.S. representative, Serikzhan Bilash, Alimnur formally obtained Kazakh citizenship and canceled his Chinese household registration and passport. “Under Chinese law, he is no longer a Chinese citizen,” he said, accusing Xinjiang security authorities of “fabricating charges” and noting that overseas social media activity by some former Xinjiang residents may implicate their relatives. “As long as they can lure someone back to Xinjiang from Kazakhstan, they receive a monetary reward.”
The organization’s members added that similar “cross-border pressure” has intensified in recent years. They claim Chinese security authorities have continued to pressure some former Xinjiang residents living in Kazakhstan, including monitoring their activities on social networks, investigating family relations, and launching targeted attacks against rights-defense activists.
The government of Kazakhstan has not publicly responded to these allegations.
Protest Took Place in a Uyghur Community; Beijing’s Influence Draws Attention
The protest occurred in a predominantly Uyghur community in the southeastern Almaty region. The interviewee said the area is particularly sensitive to Beijing’s rapid expansion in Central Asia over the past few years.
As Russia’s traditional influence in the region declines, China is becoming an increasingly crucial force in the economic and political affairs of Central Asia. China’s infrastructure investments in Kazakhstan, land-lease disputes, and Xinjiang’s heavy-handed policies toward Muslim minorities have long fueled public unease.
“We are gathered here to oppose China’s expansion,” one protester said in the video. “They are buying our land and expanding further. We must oppose it.” Similar sentiments have become increasingly common on Russian- and Kazakh-language social media in recent years.
Kazakh law prohibits the sale of farmland to foreigners, a law that partly stemmed from the massive nationwide protests against “land reform” in 2016.
Space for Dissent is Shrinking
Atajurt Eriktileri, a Kazakh human rights organization, has been repeatedly deemed illegal because it has not obtained official government registration. Its activities are frequently deemed illegal by officials. Members stated that the volunteers of the organization are often fined or detained for reasons such as being “members of an illegal organization” or “holding unauthorized gatherings.”
Serikzhan, who has participated in multiple efforts to rescue detainees in Xinjiang, told ChinaAid that their space for action is continuously shrinking. He said that under pressure from the government and security agencies, many once-active family members of victims have been “forced into silence.”
“Some people distance themselves from us after being rescued because they are under new pressure,” he said.
Regional Tensions Rise as the Case Continues to Develop
As of November 26, the detained protesters were still being questioned, and some may have been transferred to criminal detention.
The incident shows that as China–Kazakhstan relations grow closer, public sentiment toward Beijing’s influence is becoming increasingly complex. The frequent appearance of cross-border Xinjiang-related cases is also making this region one of Central Asia’s most politically sensitive zones.
Currently, neither the Kazakh nor the Chinese government has issued further information on Alimnur Turganbay’s detention status.
Families of the protesters say they will continue urging the government to engage Beijing and demand the “release of innocent Kazakh citizens.”
List of Arrested Individuals:
1. Bekzat Maxutkan
2. Bakytnur Nurmukan
3. Batylbek Baigazy
4. Bedelkhan Kabileshim
5. Marghulan Nurdangazy
6. Beisenali Akzhigit
7. Nurgeldi Nursapa
8. Erkinbek Nurakyn
9. Ergali Nurlybayev
10. Erbol Nurlybayev
11. Tursynbek Kabi
12. Kanat Turdybai
13. Kuandyk Kozhanov
14. Nazigul Maksutkhan
15. Gulnar Shaimurat
16. Guldariya Sherizat
17. Bakytzhan Shugyl
18. Asylkhan Kolkhaev
(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai for ChinaAid)