(Kazakhstan – February 3, 2026) In Kazakhstan, the health conditions of several detained members of the well-known but unregistered human rights organization “Atajurt” (also known as Nagyz Atajurt, or “Volunteers of the Homeland”) have deteriorated sharply. According to their families, they are facing serious medical problems while in pretrial detention or under house arrest.
One of the detained activists, Tursynbek Kabi, has suffered severe hearing loss and persistent, intense pain throughout his body and legs. His lawyer submitted medical documentation to the court requesting a change to house arrest, but the judge rejected the request. Kabi was tortured and beaten in a detention facility in Xinjiang, China, in 2018, resulting in ruptured eardrums in both ears. Although the damage could initially have been repaired through surgery within six months, that window has now passed, and recovery is no longer possible. He currently relies on hearing aids to barely hear sounds.
According to family members, due to being forced to lie on cold concrete floors for prolonged periods, he suffers from chronic pain. Shortly after returning to Kazakhstan in 2019, he was hospitalized; doctors verbally diagnosed him with “suspected sepsis caused by an unknown toxin” but refused to provide a formal written conclusion. Since then, his blood toxicity levels have had to be monitored every three months. From 2021 onward, he has experienced recurrent fluid accumulation above his left knee, causing difficulty walking and requiring the use of a cane. They also claimed that during one examination, doctors discovered an unknown metallic foreign object inside his left knee, which was later surgically removed; at the same time, he was diagnosed with lesions and injuries at the back of his head. It was claimed that he has also lost his fertility as a result of being administered unknown vaccines and injections while in the detention camp.
Another detainee, Batyrbek Baigazy, has severe visual impairment and urgently requires ophthalmic surgery under a medical treatment plan, but because of his detention, the surgery cannot be carried out, and his eyesight has nearly deteriorated to blindness. He applied for house arrest on health grounds, but the court also rejected the request.
Yerbol Nurlybayev is being held in solitary confinement and suffers from a severe disease in both kidneys, urgently requiring specialist treatment. He is one of the most active members of the organization in southern Kazakhstan. He has previously been subjected to administrative detention multiple times for peacefully protesting China’s visa-free policy and the long-term leasing of land and strategic facilities to Chinese companies. He is currently also subjected to psychological torment, further aggravating his condition.
The organization’s lawyer, Nazigul Maksutkhan, is currently eight months pregnant and has another two-year-old child. Over the past two and a half months, she has faced multiple criminal charges and has been under continuous investigation, home searches, had to wear an electronic ankle monitor, has undergone forced interrogations, and has been subjected to various forms of psychological pressure. According to her husband, Erzhan Bolatkan, these pressures have led to prolonged abnormal fetal movement, severe swelling of both legs, intense pain in the kidney area, persistent headaches, and sleep disturbances. She urgently needs medical assistance, but out of fear of potential adverse incidents that political activists may encounter in hospitals in Kazakhstan, she has not dared to seek medical care. Although she lives near Almaty, she has been required to travel to Taldykorgan, approximately 300 kilometers away, to appear in court. Each court session forces her to remain seated for at least three hours, posing a serious threat to her health during pregnancy.
The four activists mentioned above and other members, on November 13, 2025, burned the Chinese national flag and portrait of China’s leader while protesting near the border of China and Kazakhstan against China’s arbitrary detention of a Kazakh truck driver, Alimnur Turganbay. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently issued a diplomatic note, after which Kazakhstan’s authorities arrested 19 activists (17 of whom were members of the organization). The case was initially handled as an administrative offense and later escalated to criminal charges under Article 174 of the Criminal Code, “incitement of ethnic or national discord,” which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. Thirteen people remain in pretrial detention, and the case is being tried in secret, with lawyers prohibited from disclosing details.
International human rights groups have criticized the case as a violation of freedom of expression and assembly, calling for the immediate dismissal of charges and the release of those detained. Kazakhstan’s judicial system has long faced questions about its independence, and the country’s overall governance structure is widely regarded as authoritarian in nature.
