Three Karakalpak Activists Granted US Asylum

The activists spent a year in custody in Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan requested their extradition, stating they "called for unrest" and "encroached on the constitutional order," Orda.kz reports.

The Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights reports that the activists flew to the United States the day before. Among them are Zhangeldy Zhaksimbetov, Tleubike Yuldasheva, and Raisa Khudaibergenova with her family. 

The flight of another activist, Ziuar Mirmanbetova, was postponed due to delays in paperwork. 

The representative of the so-called "Almaty Five" Koshkarbay Toremuratov is currently in Poland, where his application for asylum is being considered,
human rights activists write. 

Currently, three other Karakalpaks remain in pre-trial detention facilities in Kazakhstan. They are subject to extradition arrest based on charges brought forward by Uzbekistan.

In September of this year, we wrote that a representative of the Karakalpak diaspora, Aqylbek Muratbai, was denied asylum in Kazakhstan. He has been under arrest since February 2024.

According to new regulations, if a person is denied refugee status, they also lose their preliminary status as an "asylum seeker." This means that Muratbai has lost his protection from extradition and may be handed over to the Uzbek authorities.

Original Authors: Zarina Fayzulina