How a Kazakhstani Tried to Change His Ethnicity Through the Courts — and What Came of It

A court in Astana ordered a state agency to reconsider a man’s request to change his recorded ethnicity from Italian to German, Orda.kz reports.

The court said the agency must take into account the applicant’s family background, including his grandmother’s origin, as well as his life circumstances.

Officials had initially rejected the man’s request, saying ethnicity is determined by the parents’ ethnicity and suggesting that he first change his father’s records. He disagreed and took the case to court, according to the press service of Astana’s Specialized Inter-District Administrative Court.

The man argued that Kazakh law allows a person to change their recorded ethnicity with due regard to life circumstances. He said he plans to participate in Germany’s late resettlers program, speaks German, and has relatives in the country.

During the proceedings, the court established that the plaintiff’s paternal grandmother was indeed German, which was confirmed by the case materials.

As a result, the man’s application must be reconsidered. The decision has not yet entered into force.

Original author: Elvira Ivannikova

Read also:

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• “Kazakh Only If Your Father Is”: The Struggle to Prove Identity in Kazakhstan
• Kazakhstan’s Largest Ethnic Groups: Updated Figures Released