In May 2025, 23-year-old Yerzhanat Abai fled China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region seeking refuge in neighboring Kazakhstan. Instead, Kazakh authorities detained him and began deportation proceedings back to China. Abai’s case is a stark reminder that Beijing’s repression of Turkic-Muslim minorities does not stop at its borders and can be enabled or resisted, depending on how neighboring countries choose to respond.
The repression in China’s northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (also known as the Uyghur Region) is often framed in terms of the plight of the Turkic-Muslim Uyghurs. Yet it is critical to recognize that this campaign includes not only Uyghur communities but also ethnic Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Hui Muslims, and other minorities. Similarly, Beijing has detained, surveilled, and subjected these groups to so-called “re-education” centers. Research shows that many ethnic Kazakhs who have fled to Kazakhstan or hold dual heritage, known as “Oralman,” still have relatives in Xinjiang’s internment system. Others with Chinese citizenship, or even Kazakh citizens who returned to China for short visits or bureaucratic matters, have been immediately detained and incarcerated.
This cross-border dynamic should matter to the United States. China’s repression is increasingly shaping the behavior of its neighbors, and because Kazakhstan is positioned amongst Russia, China, and the West, it plays a pivotal role in determining how far Beijing’s coercive influence extends. How Astana responds will also signal how effectively the United States and its partners can counter China’s human rights abuses and defend democratic values in the region. Looking at the country’s demographic and cross-border dynamics makes the issue even more salient. Kazakhstan hosts over 200,000 Uyghurs and a considerable number of Oralman from China, creating familial and cultural ties that complicate the bilateral relationship with Beijing. These links render Xinjiang’s human rights crisis especially politically sensitive for Astana, since any protest or public outcry by ethnic kin could provoke diplomatic and economic fallout.
At the grassroots level, the unregistered party Atazhurt (“Fatherland”) has emerged as one of the few independent human rights voices within Kazakhstan addressing Xinjiang’s abuses. Founded by activist Serikzhan Bilash, Atazhurt compiles one of the largest databases of victims among ethnic Kazakhs, connects families separated by China’s repression, and collaborates with international journalists and rights groups to shine a spotlight on otherwise hidden abuses.
Despite Kazakhstan’s ethnic and cultural ties to the victims in Xinjiang, its government has responded with caution and suppression rather than solidarity. Instead of supporting grassroots organizations like Atazhurt or condemning Beijing’s abuses, Astana has moved to silence dissent—fining activists, restricting protests, and co-opting civil society efforts. After Atazhurt founder Serikzhan Bilash faced criminal charges in 2019, authorities refused to register his independent human rights group as a political party and instead approved a government-aligned splinter organization under the same name, staffed by members who adopted a softer stance toward China. Under mounting pressure and ongoing legal harassment, Bilash ultimately fled to Turkey. This episode and ongoing situation illustrates Kazakhstan’s precarious balancing act: torn between ethnic solidarity with Kazakhs in Xinjiang and the economic and political necessity of maintaining favorable relations with Beijing.
Recent developments show how sharply this pressure has intensified. In November 2025, Kazakh authorities detained more than a dozen Atazhurt activists after unauthorized protests near the Chinese border, where participants burned Chinese flags and demanded the release of a Kazakh citizen detained in Xinjiang. Police labeled the gathering illegal and arrested at least seventeen people, later opening criminal cases for “inciting ethnic hatred,” a charge that carries up to ten years in prison. Several detainees were placed either in pretrial custody or under house arrest, highlighting a broader effort to suppress activism connected to Xinjiang. These arrests signal a shrinking space for dissent and growing pressure on Kazakhstan to align publicly with Beijing’s preferences. Activists warn that without strong international attention, authorities may escalate prosecutions and further constrain groups documenting abuses in Xinjiang.
The persecution of ethnic Kazakhs and all other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang is part of China’s broader campaign of forced labor, mass detention, and cultural erasure. Kazakhstan’s muted response underscores how authoritarian-leaning states often prioritize strategic and economic partnerships with Beijing over protecting vulnerable minorities. It is a human rights crisis that challenges global norms and U.S. commitments to religious freedom and human dignity. Thus, by supporting civil-society groups like Atazhurt and international advocacy, the United States can reaffirm its leadership in defending human rights for all Turkic-Muslim minorities facing state repression.