A Year Later, Oskemen Resident Was Approved to Hold a Rally Against the Time Change

Almost a year after filing his initial request, rally organizer Leonid Kartashev has finally received permission to hold a protest against Kazakhstan’s time zone shift. Authorities approved the demonstration for November 5, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, on Nazarbayev Avenue, Orda.kz reports.

Kartashev shared a photo of the official letter on social media but said he disagreed with the proposed time and location, insisting that the rally should be held on the date and at the time originally suggested by the public.

Kazakhstan adopted a single time zone (UTC+5) on March 1, 2024. Since then, many residents have complained about the early sunsets. In Oskemen, for example, the sun now sets as early as 4:00 PM. Despite widespread criticism online, the government has stood by its decision.

Kartashev first submitted a notice to hold a peaceful rally in December 2024, but the Akimat denied his request. He challenged the decision in court, and on March 4, 2025, the Specialized Interdistrict Administrative Court of the East Kazakhstan Region ruled that the Akimat’s refusal violated citizens’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

Following the court ruling, the Akimat reviewed the activist’s notice again and issued the current approval. In a video message, Kartashev said he would only proceed if officials agreed to a date that suited the organizers.

Media lawyer and head of the Legal Media Center, Diana Okremova, criticized the Akimat’s response:

It's certainly wonderful that laws sometimes work, but this proposal seemscomes off as mockery: hold a rally a year later, when the issue is no longer relevant. The grimaces of our system,
 she wrote on social media.

While the Akimat formally approved the event, the activists continue to oppose the scheduled date.

Kartashev claims that officials deliberately chose November 5 — a day when rain and snow were forecast — knowing he would be away on business in Almaty.

The Akimat received the Cassation Court's ruling permitting the rally on October 18th, but Republic Day was looming: oh, I hope nothing happens! So Irina Smith delayed until the last minute. Only after learning that the rally organizer would be in Almaty on urgent business on November 5th did she propose holding the event on that day, even though Kazhydromet had forecast rain and snow for that day,
 Kartashev explained.

On October 31, he submitted a formal objection to the proposed date.

Meanwhile, since the 2024 time change, public and civil servants in Oskemen have been working under a revised schedule — from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, with lunch from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM.

Original Author: Elena Medvedeva